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US military biological programs aim to raise capability bypassing BTWC — Russian Ministry

The files of speeches of the US’ and Ukraine’s representatives, as well as working documents of participating countries, joint statements and the final document of the meeting were analyzed, Head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces says

MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The true purpose of US biological warfare programs outside its territory is to increase their capabilities, bypassing obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), Head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said on Monday.

"We have repeatedly spoken about the true nature of the military biological programs of the Pentagon, implemented outside its national territory. While the stated goals are to monitor infectious diseases and provide assistance to developing countries, in reality we see the build-up of the US military biological potential bypassing obligations under the BTWC," he said.

Kirillov added that Russia’s Defense Ministry has provided signatories to Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons (BTWC) with evidence that the US’ military-biological programs were implemented in Ukraine.

The meeting of BTWC signatories was held at Moscow’s initiative in Geneva from September 5 to 9, he noted. "The participants of the meeting were provided with copies of real documents, as well as physical evidence confirming that works on military-biological programs [of the US] were implemented on Ukrainian territory," Kirillov said.

None of delegations cast doubt on the authenticity of documents provided that concerned particularly the accumulation of pathogenic materials in Ukrainian laboratories, including the Mechnikov Anti-Plague Institute, he noted.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has analyzed the files of speeches of the US’ and Ukraine’s representatives, as well as working documents of participating countries, joint statements and the final document of the meeting, Kirillov added.