Presence of Foreign Specialists in Biosafety Laboratories in Armenia Excluded: Anna Naghdalyan

The biological laboratories operating in Armenia belong to the Republic of Armenia, are entirely under the control of Armenian state bodies, and the presence of foreign specialists in the laboratories is excluded. This was stated by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Naghdalyan, in an interview with tert.am.

The website inquired about the joint press conference held in November in Yerevan by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Russia, where it was announced that an agreement regarding the entry of Russian specialists into American-funded biosafety laboratories in Armenia would be signed soon. We wanted to learn about the fate of that agreement's signing. Is it planned to be signed, and if yes, when?

Naghdalyan emphasized that the biological laboratories operating in Armenia belong to Armenia and are completely controlled by Armenian state bodies. The Armenian side has repeatedly stated that the staff of the laboratories consists solely of Armenian citizens, and the presence of foreign specialists in the laboratories is excluded.

The press spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “The memorandum of understanding between Armenia and Russia on 'Ensuring Biological Security' is not about the issues concerning biological laboratories operating in Armenia, and even less about the entry rights of Russian specialists. As we have repeatedly pointed out, it addresses a wide range of problems related to the parties' biological security.”

According to Anna Naghdalyan, the current draft of the memorandum does not foresee any side's guaranteed right to access the working areas of the laboratories or to exercise any unilateral control.

“The draft memorandum is currently undergoing domestic coordination in the Republic of Armenia, which has been delayed due to the declaration of a state of emergency in the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Naghdalyan summarized.