ArmInfo. The USA is proud of the level of relations with Armenia in the field of safety of biological laboratories that has existed since 2008. The US Ambassador to Armenia Lynn Tracy said this in an interview with Civilnet, referring to the issue of providing Russian authorities with access to Russian specialists in the bio-laboratory.
At the same time, the diplomat noted that these biological laboratories are Armenian, and are managed by Armenian specialists and are managed by the Armenian authorities. "We have worked very transparently in the issue of cooperation in this area. Armenia, as a sovereign state, sovereign government, can itself manage any activity related to these bio-laboratories," the diplomat concluded.
It should be noted that Moscow and Yerevan began work on the corresponding document last summer. It has now been completed and is awaiting coordination at the interdepartmental level in the two countries, as announced by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Russia on November 11 in Yerevan.
Recall that in 2016, with the funding of the US Department of Defense, three laboratories were opened in Armenia - in Yerevan, Gyumri and Ijevan. After their discovery in the Armenian and Russian media, publications periodically receive widespread publicity 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 for the creation of a reference laboratory in Yerevan, and the total funding amounted to $ 18 million.
In Yerevan, for the full construction of the reference laboratory of the food safety department for especially dangerous pathogens of the Ministry of Agriculture, $ 4.1 million was invested, and the US government invested $ 9.8 million for the repair of 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.