MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/. The United States’ military biological activities across the globe proves the necessity for strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.

"We consider such activities by the Western countries, including in the post-Soviet space, as a real threat to the national security of Russia and other states. <…> The United States’ military biological activities across the world is a vivid example confirming the need for strengthening the BTWC," he said answering questions from the mass media.

According to Ryabkov, the military biological activities of the United States and its allies requires close attention of the entire world community.

"Under the pretext of sanitary and epidemiological assistance, the United States has industrialized the construction and modernization of microbiological laboratories across the world. It is impossible to control theses facilities’ involvement in the closed research programs implemented by the military. The strains of agents of local infectious diseases the Americans get can be used for purposes incompatible with the interests of the ‘receiving’ state," Ryabkov stressed, adding that such activities are fraught with leaks of dangerous pathogens.

He noted that violations of the BTWC in Ukraine can be seen as an example of such activities. He warned that Moscow will continue efforts to make Kiev and Washington respond to its questions about the US military biolabs in Ukraine.

"Bearing this in mind, corresponding Russian initiative are still relevant. It is no less important that most of the BTWC member states, including Russia, sands in favor of adopting a universal, legally binding non-discriminatory protocol with efficient verification mechanisms, the work on which has been blocked by the United States since 2001," he said and called on West to take concrete steps to stop "destructive military biological activities across the world" and create instruments to implement the convention.