Armenian Security Council Highlights Biolaboratory Cooperation with the U.S.

The Office of the Security Council of Armenia has issued a statement regarding participation in collaborative partnerships aimed at reducing threats to global health security.

The statement specifically mentions: “The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has highlighted the importance of national capacities for the control, diagnosis, and response to infectious diseases. International cooperation and support play a crucial role in developing these capacities.

Our governments have cooperated openly and transparently within the framework of the Biological Threat Reduction Program, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense's Threat Reduction Agency initiative. These partnerships pursue exclusively peaceful objectives and have no relation to biological weapons. These collaborations protect the health of people and animals in our countries by preventing, detecting, and controlling outbreaks of infectious diseases, as well as improving the biosecurity and biosafety of local laboratories.

As partners in this program, each of us is acutely aware of the importance of reinforcing global health security and the shared goal of reducing the impact of infectious diseases on our societies. Our governments firmly affirm the common approach that such cooperation should not be obstructed but rather promoted and strengthened. In accordance with Article 10, we encourage all member states of the Biological Weapons Convention to work together in support of this goal, including at the upcoming Review Conference.”