Russian Ambassador: There is no final agreement on the issue of  biological laboratories between Moscow and Yerevan

ArmInfo. There is a dialogue between Armenia and Russia on the issue related to bio laboratories, as well as with other countries. The Russian Ambassador to Armenia  Sergey Kopirkin stated this on December 18 at a press conference. He  noted that the dialogue is very constructive and there is mutual  understanding between the parties.

"I do not rule out that we will reach some agreements. However, I  cannot say exactly when these agreements will be reached, and in what  format," the ambassador stressed.

Kopirkin also noted that there could be no prohibitions, since we are  talking about relations between two sovereign states. "I want to  emphasize that there is no final agreement on the exclusion of the  presence of foreign military on the territory of biolaboratories in  Armenia," the head of the Russian embassy said.  As for military  personnel, there is an approach within the CSTO, according to which  countries should coordinate the issue with their partners within the  framework of this organization.  To note, Russian Foreign Minister  Sergey Lavrov said recently: With Armenia, we are completing the  process of preparing a document  that will guarantee the non-presence  of foreign military there, 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 of biolaboratories  by third countries with financial support  from the United States. It  was noted that if the negotiations are  crowned with success, 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  admitted 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  discovery in the Armenian and  Russian mass media, publications are  periodically received that  these laboratories are dual-purpose  objects and can also be used for  military purposes for the creation  and production of biological  weapons. The establishment of the  reference laboratory in Yerevan by  the US Department of Defense  allocated $ 15.5, 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 repairing the  reference laboratory of the National  Center for Disease Control and  Prevention of the Ministry of Health  of Armenia by the US government  invested $ 9.8 million, ensuring the  seismic stability of the  building and creating the necessary  laboratory infrastructure  Keturah. An additional $ 1.7 million for  both laboratories was  allocated for the purchase of new equipment  and furniture.