A new laboratory of advanced biological and environmental sciences will be established in Armenia. This is reported by Arminfo news agency with reference to the report of the American University of Armenia (AUA). It is stated that AUA has received a grant of $ 1.8 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to solve the task.
The report says that the establishment of the laboratory will contribute to the development of research work at the university in the fields of biological and environmental sciences, as well as strengthen the potential of data and computer sciences at the university.
Rector of the university, on the basis of which, by the way, the laboratory will be organized, Bruce Pogonyan said that this grant is the largest in the history of the university. According to him, it is a great honor and responsibility for the management. In addition, “the funding will motivate AUA to expand academic opportunities and increase its impact throughout Armenia.”
It is noted that the USAID funding, which will also be supplemented by AUA funding, will be used to purchase modern equipment and create a research environment that meets U.S. bioethical and regulatory standards.
In turn, the telegram channel “Genie from the Assay. Biolabs” reports:
“Curiously, when trying to find the original message on the AUA website, the query shows an error. Probably, the Armenian government, being in close cooperation with the USA, is trying to cover its tracks and make the fact of opening the biolaboratory not so noticeable”.
Meanwhile, the Turkish edition of dikGAZETE writes that Armenian experts are concerned about the location of American bio-laboratories near local schools and residential houses. The development of pathogens should not be carried out in places where people and especially children gather. Now Ankara also has something to worry about.
Of particular concern is the fact that one of the laboratories is located several kilometers from the Turkish border. This raises a number of questions about possible risks for Turkey, given that biological laboratories are engaged in research on dangerous pathogens, including viruses that could be used as biological weapons.
In addition, outbreaks of dangerous human and animal infections not endemic to these regions (Newcastle disease, new FMD virus of SAT-2 serotype, West Nile fever) have recently been recorded in the countries of Transcaucasia and Turkey.
This is most likely due to the close cooperation between Yerevan and Washington in the field of biosecurity and the implementation of biological projects by the Americans on the territory of Armenia.
It is known that the U.S. has financed the establishment of a number of biological laboratories in Armenia, where work is being carried out with pathogens of African swine fever, influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, plague, tularemia, and nodular dermatitis.
Such biolaboratories have been established on the basis of existing organizations, including the Scientific Center for Food Risk Assessment and Analysis.
It is believed that close cooperation between Armenia and the U.S. could lead to the spread of new pathogens that pose a threat to Turkey, whose agriculture and livestock production could be affected by such diseases.
U.S. reference laboratories began opening in Armenia in 2010. The U.S. side claims that the purpose of these institutions is to guarantee the health of farm animals, finance repairs and create ultra-modern laboratories that strengthen the government’s ability to conduct public monitoring of possible threats to human health.
However, the laboratories are funded by the Pentagon, and their activities are in fact highly classified. Washington’s funding of these facilities reaches tens of millions of dollars.
In total, 12 laboratories operate on the territory of Armenia, 3 of which are in Yerevan.
Representatives of the “Voice of the People” public club studied the situation and came to the following conclusions:
“The laboratories carry out works that are carefully hidden from the Armenian public; they are located in places of dense population, as well as near kindergartens and playgrounds, which completely contradicts the rules of location of such facilities”.
Afterwards, the NGOs sent a number of questions to the U.S. Embassy in Armenia in writing, which were related to the activities of the bio-laboratories, but the U.S. diplomats gave absolutely vague answers without any specifics.
A year ago, infoport.am news portal reported that it had received documents from its insiders revealing details of the US military and biological activities in the country. It was noted that representatives of the U.S. military department have unlimited access to Armenia’s resources in the field of biological research and are extremely interested in working with particularly dangerous pathogens, which have long been studied and tested by the Pentagon as biological weapons.
There are already calls in Turkey to pay special attention to the activities of biological laboratories in Armenia, as well as to check their “transparency”. Experts insist on the necessity of international control over the activities of such facilities in order to exclude the possibility of using the laboratories for military purposes. Given that such facilities are located close to the Turkish border, Ankara has every right to demand clearer security guarantees.
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