MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. A number of countries are working to enhance existing pathogens and create artificial microorganisms with specific characteristics, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a video address to participants at the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference.
"As for biological threats, as is well known, research continues in a number of countries on creating artificial microorganisms with specific characteristics, enhancing the properties of naturally occurring pathogens, or endowing them with so-called ‘uncharacteristic’ qualities," the top diplomat noted. "This increases the likelihood of the emergence of a new generation of biological agents that cannot be identified using traditional methods," Lavrov noted.
"This only confirms the need for what Russia has been calling for over many years: it is necessary to develop a legally binding protocol with an effective verification mechanism within the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention," he emphasized.
According to Lavrov, the excessive politicization of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' activities poses a significant threat to the integrity of the non-proliferation regime.
"This once authoritative and independent technical body has turned into a tool serving the interests of a narrow group of Western states, which have completely taken over the secretariat and subordinated it to their own interests," the Russian foreign minister concluded.