Lavrov Visits Armenia: Russian Experts to Gain Access to US-Equipped Bio-Laboratories

Russian health and military specialists will be granted free access to US-equipped bio-laboratories in Armenia, which have raised concerns in Moscow. According to the newspaper Komersant, a corresponding memorandum between Armenia and Russia will be signed during the upcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Yerevan on November 10-11.

Russia has repeatedly criticized the United States for its "military medical-biological activity" near its borders, promising to ensure transparency regarding the operations of these laboratories. The signing of the relevant document between Armenia and Russia is emphasized by sources in Russia, noting, "We have reached a principled agreement. We only need to formalize specific details."

It is mentioned that according to the agreement, experts from the Russian Ministries of Health and Defense will be able to visit US-funded laboratories in Armenia. The spokesperson for Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Naghdalyan, has already confirmed the news of Lavrov’s visit, stating that work is underway to organize the visit. She neither confirmed nor denied the information about the signing of the Armenian-Russian memorandum during this visit. "The work on expanding the Armenian-Russian legal framework is ongoing," she said in an interview with Aysor.am.

US-funded laboratories conducting biological research and studying viruses operate in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. Moscow views the activities of these entities with suspicion, partly because their modernization has been financed by the US. The Pentagon has allocated $10 million for the modernization of Armenia’s National Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Last year, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in an interview with Komersant that specialists from Russia had been granted permission to enter US-funded laboratories in Armenian territory engaged in bio-materials research. "Literally 10-15 days ago, I instructed that Russian specialists be allowed to access those laboratories," Pashinyan declared. He emphasized that experts from Russia have "never had and will not have access issues since he became Prime Minister of Armenia."