ArmInfo. Memorandum on admission of Russian specialists to a biological laboratory in Armenia is in a very high degree of readiness. This was stated by Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the RA Sergey Kopyrkin at a December 24 press conference.
As noted, all the essential provisions of the document were agreed upon, and at this stage there are some technical issues that require agreement on both sides. "In general, I see no problem with the signing of this Memorandum," Kopyrkin said.
To recall 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 manufacture of 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. $ 4.1 million was invested in Yerevan for the complete construction of the reference laboratory of the food safety department for especially dangerous pathogens of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia, and $ 9.8 million was invested in 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.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed confidence that the Memorandum on the admission of Russian specialists to a bio-laboratory in Armenia would strengthen the Armenian-Russian cooperation in the field of biosafety.