12.10.2021, Moscow.
The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers issued a joint statement on the development of biological weapons by the United States, the statement was published on October 7 on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia and China referred to the provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BTWC) and reaffirmed the critical importance of the BTWC for preserving peace and security.
The statement also expressed concern over contemporary biological weapons developments and explicitly identified the source of this danger. That is the United States and its allies, which have deployed US military laboratories on their territories.
As stated in the document, “The foreign military-biological activities of the United States and its allies (more than 200 US biological laboratories, whose activities are secret and non-transparent, are located outside the national territory of the United States) raise serious concerns and questions for the international community regarding compliance with the BTWC. The parties share the view that such activities pose a serious threat to the national security of the Russian Federation and China and are detrimental to the security of their respective regions.”
In light of this, the joint statement proposes that BTWC member states establish mobile bio-medical response teams to respond to biological emergencies, investigate such incidents, and combat the resulting epidemics.
The document describes the proposal as a new approach to BTWC implementation at the international level, combining the principles of exclusively peaceful cooperation in the field of biological warfare and ensuring the collective security of participating countries.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
