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Coronavirus pandemic

Kremlin says unfounded accusations of man-made origin of COVID-19 unacceptable

The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Russian specialists are keeping in contact with the Chinese side and exchanging information

© Yegor Aleyev/TASS

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. The Kremlin says it is inappropriate to put forward groundless accusations that the virus causing COVID-19 was specifically created.

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"We believe it is unacceptable and inadmissible to resort to any unfounded accusations aimed at anybody," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters commenting on suppositions of a number of American media outlets saying that the novel coronavirus is not of natural origin, hinting that it could have been allegedly manufactured in a Chinese lab.

Peskov stressed that Russian specialists are keeping in contact with the Chinese side and exchanging information. "The Chinese are working on their vaccines, we have processes moving forward in various spheres. Overall, the situation requires international cooperation," the spokesman added.

Peskov emphasized that now "every time when a certain representative or expert claims or gives a hint that the virus was man-made, simultaneously two more representatives or experts appear" who disprove such a hypothesis.

"Both categories are talking without any evidence. We are likely to lack enough information to make any conclusions," he stressed.

Virus’s origin disputes

Read also

China dismisses claims that coronavirus originated in lab as 'baseless'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier announced that he expects Chinese authorities to grant access to foreign specialists to the lab in Wuhan where, as certain American media outlets claim, the virus allegedly originated from.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Zhao Lijian, in turn, slammed the virus’s artificial nature theory as not backed by any evidence. The remark came as a response to a Fox News publication alleging that an unidentified staffer of the Wuhan lab was ‘patient zero’ for the outbreak.

Head of Russia’s Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA) Veronika Skvortsova conceded that the theory of the novel coronavirus’s artificial origin cannot theoretically be ruled out. However, she pointed out "that there cannot be any guesswork here as very serious research must be carried out."

At the same time, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Fadela Chaib revealed that WHO on this issue "is guided by scientific data and believes that the virus is of animal origin."

In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

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Proposal to duel with West response to claims of Oreshnik missile vulnerability — Kremlin

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Russia calls Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights unacceptable — MFA

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Putin to extend New Year greetings to peoples of several unfriendly countries — Kremlin

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Damage to Portuguese Embassy in Kiev caused by Ukrainian air defense — Russian diplomats

Reporters are ramping up Russophobia, distorting the facts while writing on this matter, the Russian Embassy in Portugal said

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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov also stressed that the recent developments had shown that the US policy of establishing a system of increasingly layered missile defenses was wrong

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NATO prepares for war with Russia, Moscow takes these risks into account — senior diplomat

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Eight people killed in Israeli strike on school in Gaza Strip

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Magnitude 5.3 earthquake rocks South Africa

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The Russian Defense Ministry has also purchased more than 100,000 units from small design bureaus and civilian manufacturers, the statement said

Oreshnik’s launch is sudden, undetectable by satellites — analyst

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Assad allegedly hands list of military targets over to Israel before leaving Syria — media

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Musk believes Germany’s Scholz should step down after car drives into crowd in Magdeburg

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Oreshnik test launch forces London to take a step back — Russian ambassador

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Putin agrees 'Russian world' now faces war

The Russian leader also agreed with Sergey Mironov, head of the "A Just Russia - For Truth" faction in the Duma, who said that "the birth rate is insufficient, because the matter concerns extinction"

ISS orbit raised ahead of launching Soyuz manned spacecraft

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Zelensky actually flips the bird to Trump by insulting Putin, Medvedev says

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Hungarian PM highlights need to lift sanctions on Russia once Ukraine conflict is resolved

Viktor Obran added, however, that only a couple of EU countries shared Hungary’s position

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Israeli minister’s suggestion of nuclear strike on Gaza raises questions — Russian MFA

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Hungary wants to maintain ties with Russia under its economic neutrality policy — PM

Victor Orban also said that hopes for the development of economic cooperation with the United States after President-elect Donald Trump takes office

Press review: Putin outlines Russia's future goals and Tehran faces energy blackout riots

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Slovak PM thanks Putin in Russian for meeting with him

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More than 107,600 people received wounds