Russia Will Not Act Against Armenia's Security, Says Pashinyan

Armenia was prepared to sign a memorandum regarding biological laboratories, but the Russian side suggested first developing the text of the document. The agreement will be signed when the parties are ready, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today during a meeting with Russian journalists.

On November 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated during a briefing in Yerevan that negotiations regarding a memorandum allowing Russian specialists to access Armenian biological laboratories have concluded.

“We are working on the document; it will be signed when both parties are ready,” said Pashinyan. The Prime Minister did not clarify what specifically the Russian side wanted to develop further.

Pashinyan emphasized that the activities of biological laboratories in Armenia are not funded by the United States. Although these establishments were initially created with American funds, they are the property of Armenia, and Americans do not have access to them.

“This means that no one can enter the biological laboratory territory without the permission of the Armenian authorities. This is a very important point. The Americans cannot freely access these facilities,” the Prime Minister clarified.

According to him, at this moment, Americans have as much chance of entering the biological laboratories as do the Russians.

“Reading Russian media, one might get the impression that representatives of the USA can enter at any moment, but that is not the case,” Pashinyan added.

He also noted that Armenia and Russia, being strategic allies, cannot act against each other and cannot violate each other’s security interests.

“It is excluded that Armenia would act against Russia’s security. Such a thing simply cannot happen. I am confident that Russia will also not act against Armenia's security,” Pashinyan stated.

It is worth reminding that earlier Pashinyan stated in an interview with the Russian newspaper “Kommersant” that the biological laboratories operating in Armenia are used solely for medical purposes.