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US bio programs may aim to create viruses, warns senior Russian security official

The secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolay Patrushev called on his counterparts from the Central Asian states for closer cooperation and coordination on biosecurity issues, in particular, within the framework of bilateral memorandums signed by the parties

ALMATY, June 23. /TASS/. US-supervised biological programs frequently have dual designation and can be used to create viruses, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said at a meeting with his counterparts from Central Asian countries on Friday.

"The Pentagon-supervised biological programs on the region’s territory cause special concern. The Ukraine experience shows that practically all of them have dual purpose and can be aimed at creating dangerous racially-targeted virus strains," the senior Russian security official said.

The secretary of Russia’s Security Council called on his counterparts from the Central Asian states for closer cooperation and coordination on biosecurity issues, in particular, within the framework of bilateral memorandums signed by the parties.

"We also need to step up work for jointly building bio labs and openly exchanging information on cooperation with third countries," the senior Russian security official said.

Central Asian states traditionally include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of all the five Central Asian states attended the security meeting.

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