Dear Mr. Chair,
The Russian Federation categorically rejects any attempts by Western States to question the compelling materials and arguments that we have presented in the context of U.S. and Ukrainian military and biological activities on Ukrainian territory in violation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC). No one, with the exception of Western states, challenged the Russian documents and convincing evidence. We see in this yet another attempt by Western countries to present their point of view as the opinion of the entire international community. This can’t help but be disappointing.
We should like to reiterate that in view of the results of the consultative meeting of the States Parties to the BTWC and the results of the United Nations Security Council meetings on the issue of biological and military activities in Ukraine, it was established that articles V and VI of the Convention had been invoked by the Russian Federation in full conformity with their provisions. It was also confirmed that no consensus was reached on the issues raised by Russia as a result of these meetings. These issues remain open and need to be resolved.
We also categorically reject the unfounded accusations circulated by the Georgian side against Russia in connection with the activities of the R. Lugar Public Health Research Centre of the Russian Federation. The accusations circulated by the Georgian side against Russia regarding the activities of the R. Lugar Public Health Research Centre in Alekseevka (a suburb of Tbilisi). The purpose of such insinuations is to distract the attention of the international community from the military-biological activities of foreign States on the basis of this Centre, which raises the most serious questions in the context of the implementation of the BTWC and requires the attention of the international community. There is a noticeable desire to obscure the activities of the “US-Georgian Army Medical Research Directorate” stationed on the territory of this Center.
Despite the alleged “full control and funding” of this biolaboratory by the Georgian government, the research conducted on its base (together with the operating costs, including security) is in fact supervised and paid for by the US military department and its affiliated structures. This is confirmed by the experiments on the use of insects as carriers of especially dangerous biological agents and infectious agents, as well as the filling of munitions with toxic substances or infectious agents that were conducted on the basis of the above biobject. Information about this was openly posted on the Internet portal of this Center.
We see the expediency of organizing a visit to the biological facility in Alekseevka by Russian experts exclusively with guarantees of access to all laboratory buildings (including the rooms occupied by American specialists), as well as to any documentation. This is exactly the format that would allow for real verification. We will not participate in a PR campaign to conceal the true nature of the work being carried out by US military biologists near Russia’s borders. We assume that the visit should be conducted in a bilateral format without involving representatives of other countries (we are ready to make an exception for Pentagon officials accredited to the Centre) and international and regional organizations. We expect an official response from the Georgian side to our June 2019 note asking for the necessary clarifications on the modalities of a possible visit.
The mechanism of “voluntary peer review” visits to dual-use microbiological facilities promoted by a number of Western countries and referred to by the Georgian delegation has nothing to do with assessing the compliance of a State Party to the BWC with its obligations. It has never been endorsed by consensus decision of the States Parties to the Convention, as the Georgian side is trying to make it sound.
We still have the most serious questions regarding “voluntary assessment visits”. There is no doubt that such visits are programmed in advance by Western countries. Neither the goals, nor the methodology of their conduct, nor the criteria for assessing the information received are agreed upon within the BWC. All this creates a high risk of subsequent politically motivated manipulation.
Thank you for your attention.
