US experts 'have visited' biological laboratories in Armenia - Embassy statement

11:30 • 16.05.20

Event

Hripsime Hovhannisyan

The United States Embassy in Yerevan confirms the repeated visits by US virulogists to the biological laboratories in Armenia.

"US experts have visited these facilities in the past – with the approval of the Armenian government - to further the bilateral cooperation between experts in both our countries on biological safety and security issues, in accordance with international standards," it said in a statement on Friday in response to Tert.am's earlier request for clarifications.

Reaffirming the support to the Armenian government, the Embassy stressed the laboratories' role particularly in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It also confirmed the fact that the biological labs are run locally by Armenian professionals.

"We are pleased to partner with the Republic of Armenia on a broad array of bilateral economic, political, judicial, and security issues. Since 2008, this has included support for Armenian biological labs that are vital to improving Armenia’s biological safety and security. As the Armenian government has repeatedly stated, these are local labs run by Armenian professionals. For more information about the labs, we refer you to the Armenian government.

" The purpose of U.S. support of these laboratories is to help Armenia identify and address outbreaks of dangerous diseases. The importance of these laboratories became clear to the public upon the outbreak of COVID-19 when, for a time, the Central Lab in Avan was the only lab in Armenia conducting critical testing to aid in disease prevention," reads the statement.

Tert.am sought the clarifications after Eadaily.com, a Moscow-based news agency, said in a recent report that US virulogists had "several times before" visited the laboratories. The paper quoted the Foreign Ministry spokesperson's earlier comments saying that the laboratories in question "are fully under the jurisdiction of Armenia". "Armenia has repeatedly stated that the laboratories' personnel includes only Armenian nationals; foreign specialists' presence on the premises of those labs is ruled out," Anna Naghdalyan told Tert.am on March 30.

The website questioned the statement, naming the US experts who had visited the facilities.

In further comments to Tert.am, the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman affirmed the fact of "cognitive visits". "There have been cognitive visits by both the United States and the Russian Federation - based on permission by competent authorities," Naghdalyan said.

Russia had earlier repeatedly criticized Washington for a "military biomedical activity" close to its country's borders, promising to achieve permission to access the labs functioning "on the territories of neighboring states".

A plan for signing a corresponding memorandum of understanding with Armenia was announced back in November at a joint press conference held between the Russian and Armenian foreign ministers in Yerevan.