SOCHI, June 10. /TASS/. The West’s military biological activities constitute a security threat to Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
"For quite a while, Russia has been expressing serious concern about the military biological activities of Western countries, which directly involve military officials and take place in laboratories outside those countries, particularly in close proximity to Russia’s borders," the senior diplomat noted at the opening of the Fifth International Scientific and Practical Conference dubbed "Global Threats to Biological Security. Problems and Solutions."
"We see such activities, which are most often carried out through affiliated organizations and private companies that act as contractors, as a national security threat," Ryabkov underlined.
He pointed out that the reports that Western countries provided every year as a confidence-building measure related to the Biological Weapons Convention "contain information neither on the programs and projects that are implemented outside the national territory nor on their funding." "Our numerous calls for clarifications about such activities remain without a proper, substantive response," Ryabkov noted.
New threats
"Basically, we can say that the likelihood is increasing that new generation biological agents will emerge that cannot be identified by traditional means, and that dangerous biotech activities will go out of control, with sensitive practices falling into the hands of terrorist organizations," the Russian deputy foreign minister said.
In his view, "the emerging trends and challenges in the biological field demand increased attention from the international community." "In recent years, several countries have been actively pursuing research focused on engineering artificial microorganisms with specific traits, enhancing the capabilities of existing bacteria, viruses, and fungi, or amplifying their inherent characteristics," the diplomat specified.
He also highlighted the development of techniques to selectively affect human genetics and the immune system. "Today, synthetic biology methods enable not only the modification of existing genes and genomes but also the creation of entirely new biological systems by altering nucleic acid sequences," he stated.
According to Ryabkov, "the application of artificial intelligence in biology also calls for growing attention." "Looking ahead, advanced AI technologies will enable scientists to design a much broader array of molecules and proteins, modify microorganism traits, especially to render them undetectable, as well as develop new bio-agents and toxins," the Russian deputy foreign minister concluded.