There are no U.S. biological laboratories in Armenia: U.S. Embassy on  possible damage to biolabs in  disaster zone

ArmInfo.There are no U.S. biological laboratories in Armenia. The U.S.  Embassy in Armenia  reports in response to ArmInfo's request.

Earlier, information was spread in the Armenian section of social  networks that as a result of the flooding in the Lori and Tavush  regions, one of the American biological laboratories (in Vanadzor)  was damaged and today there is a possibility of an epidemic outbreak  in the region.

ArmInfo sent a request to the US Embassy to clarify whether the  information about the damage to the laboratory is true, and if so,  whether there is a possibility of a data leak.

In response to ArmInfo's request, the US Embassy in Armenia, in  particular, stated: " There are no U.S.  biological laboratories in  Armenia. The United States' Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)  has provided some assistance to the Armenian government in terms of  refurbishment of the Armenian government's laboratories. For  questions regarding the current status of the Armenian government's  biological labs, we refer you to the Government of Armenia."

In 2016, with the funding of the US Department of Defense,  three  laboratories were opened in Armenia:  in Yerevan, in Gyumri and  in  Ijevan. According to experts, currently, their number has reached   12. There are regular reports in the Armenian and Russian media that   these laboratories are dual-use facilities, can be used for military   purposes, to make and produce biological weapons.  The US DoD   allocated $15.5 million for the establishment of a reference   laboratory in Yerevan, with a total funding of $18 million. In   Yerevan, $4.1 million was invested for the complete construction of   the reference laboratory of the Department of Food Safety for Highly   Dangerous Pathogens of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of   Armenia, and $9.8 million was invested by the US government 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. An additional $1.7 million was allocated   for both laboratories to purchase new equipment and furniture.

Notably, Moscow and Yerevan announced the start of work  on a  document on the admission of Russian specialists to American   biological laboratories in the Republic of Armenia back in 2018.    Moreover, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Russia at a joint   press conference on November 11, 2019 in Yerevan, announced the   completion of work in this direction, and the expectation of the   agreement of the document at the interdepartmental level in the two   countries.  However, after that, all talk on this issue subsided.

The US spends huge amounts of money to support laboratories. For  example, they spent $200 million in Ukraine (there are more than 30  biolabs in Ukraine), more than $150 million in Georgia, and more than  $130 million in Kazakhstan. More than $25 million has been invested  in laboratories in Armenia. They operate in Yerevan, Gyumri,  Vanadzor, Ijevan and other regions of the republic. The budget of the  "Biological Participation Program" is $2.1 billion, and is financed  by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).