ArmInfo.Moscow and Yerevan cannot act against each other because they are strategic allies. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. "This cannot be - so that we would like to harm Russia. At least, this is our idea of strategic alliance ...
We can't act anywhere and never against each other," Pashinyan said, commenting on the request of the Rossiyskaya Gazeta a number of media reports that work on the order of the Pentagon may be carried out in Armenian biological laboratories built with US funds. The Prime Minister also noted that these laboratories were created with the help of the United States, but today they are exclusively the property of the Republic of Armenia. "No one from the outside without the sanction of the representatives of the authorities of our country can penetrate the territory of these facilities," Pashinyan added. Earlier it became known that Russia and Armenia postponed the signing of a memorandum on the admission of Russian specialists to these laboratories. The document was to be signed during a recent visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Yerevan, but this did not happen for vague reasons. "We had a draft agreement with Russia, we were ready to sign it, but our Russian colleagues decided to finalize it. We'll work on this, and when both sides agree, we will sign it," Pashinyan explained. Recall that in an interview with Civilnet, US Ambassador to Armenia Lynn Tracy stated that the USA is proud of the level of relations with Armenia in the field of safety of biological laboratories that has existed since 2008. 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 opening 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 produce 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, $ 4.1 million was invested to fully build the reference laboratory of the food safety department for especially dangerous pathogens of the RA Ministry of Agriculture, and The US Government invested $ 9.8 million to repair 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 structure. An additional $ 1.7 million for both laboratories was allocated for the purchase of new equipment and furniture.