Russia continues to work with Armenia on a draft bilateral intergovernmental memorandum of understanding on biosafety issues and hopes that talks on the document will be completed soon, said Russian MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

According to her, the Russian side is convinced that the signing of this document and the implementation of its provisions will have a beneficial effect on ensuring the sanitary and epidemic well-being of the peoples not only in the two countries but throughout the post-Soviet space, TASS reported.

She noted that details of pending agreements on such sensitive topics should not be disclosed in public space in accordance with an established practice.

Earlier, the Armenian MFA's press service reported that the draft of this memorandum is currently in the process of internal state approval, which is being postponed amid a state of emergency declared in the country.

On November 11, 2019, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov, following talks with his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, announced the completion of talks on the text of a memorandum guaranteeing the absence of foreign military personnel in the biological labs of Armenia. Lavrov noted the document will strengthen the interaction of the two countries in the field of ensuring biological safety.