YEREVAN. – Armenia and Russia completed negotiations on a memorandum to provide Russian specialists with an access to a biological laboratory in Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference in Yerevan.

The Foreign Minister added that the matter had been discussed by the channels of the health ministries within the framework of his trip.

Negotiations around the Memorandum are over, “the draft document is now being coordinated between the agencies”, he said.  The parties expect that it will be signed in the near future. As Lavrov emphasized, the issue affects interaction in the field of biosafety. In this context, he recalled the Convention that is opposed by the United States, as they are trying to create laboratories “for themselves” around the world.

Russia is committed to full interaction and transparency, the Foreign Minister noted. Asked whether the issue will be solved with the signing of the Memorandum, the Russian minister recalled that in addition to signing it must be implemented.

In turn, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan emphasized the importance of biosafety for the Armenian side.