Armenian Foreign Ministry responded to Lavrov`s statement about the  work of foreign biolabs

ArmInfo. The Armenian Foreign Ministry reacted to the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Moscow and Yerevan are preparing a document that  should guarantee the absence of foreign military in biological laboratories in Armenia.

"From the context of what has been said, it becomes clear that the  matter concerns bio-laboratories.  Cooperation in the control of the  sanitary-epidemiological situation is part of the agenda of our  country.  Armenia fulfills all its international obligations towards  the peaceful use of scientific research in the microbiological field,  "the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

To note, Sergey Lavrov also noted: "With Armenia, we are completing  the process of preparing a document that will guarantee the absence  of foreign military, which will ensure that everything that is done  there, will be transparent in terms of guarantees that there are no  threats and risks ", the minister said, adding that a similar  agreement is also being prepared with Kazakhstan.

Earlier, Kommersant wrote that the Russian side is negotiating with  Armenia about signing a document that would guarantee a ban on the  use by third countries of biolaboratories that were opened with  financial support from the United States. It was noted that if the  negotiations are successful, then American experts will not have  access to the laboratory. During his visit to Moscow, Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with the Kommersant  newspaper that, on his personal instructions, Russian specialists  were allowed to laboratories located in Armenia that deal with  biomaterial research. He stressed that the representatives of the  Russian Federation never had and will not have problems with access  there.  To recall, in 2016, with the funding of the US Department of  Defense, three laboratories were opened in Armenia - in Yerevan, in  Gyumri and in Ijevan. After their opening in the Armenian and Russian  mass media, publications are periodically spread that these  laboratories are dual-use facilities and can be used for military  purposes to create and manufacture biological weapons. The US  Department of Defense allocated $ 15.5 million on the establishment of the  reference laboratory in Yerevan, and the total funding amounted to $  18 million.

In Yerevan, $ 4.1 million was invested for the full  construction of the reference laboratory of the food safety  department for highly dangerous pathogens of the RA Ministry of  Agriculture; the US government invested $ 9.8 million on repairing  the reference laboratory of the National Center for Disease Control  and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Armenia, ensuring the  seismic stability of the building and creating the necessary  laboratory infrastructure. An additional $ 1.7 million for both  laboratories was allocated for the purchase of new equipment and  furniture.