Russia to discuss issue of biological labs near its borders

Moscow intends to raise at the United Nations the issue of biological laboratories being set up near its borders, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, State Secretary Grigory Karasin told TASS on Wednesday.

"We are against the treat that the biological laboratories scattered along the perimeter of our borders and set up thanks to US funding pose to our population and the population in neighboring states, including the CIS countries [the Commonwealth of Independent States, an assembly of post-Soviet republics]," the diplomat said. "We are raising the issue in bilateral contacts. We will certainly be raising it at multilateral floors, including the UN".

According to Karasin, Tbilisi reported at a regular round of the Geneva Discussions on security and stability in the South Caucasus that preparations were in full swing for an international biological security exercise at the laboratory of Georgia’s Richard Lugard Social Healthcare Research Center.

"However, few feel inspired since it [the lab] was set up  by the Pentagon and on American money. Moreover, it is as easy as winking to hide some sort of research in one modern lab," the diplomat said. "That is why our experts are very cautious about taking part in such events as they do not want to become part of a scheme legalizing the work of that biological lab," he added.