Russian experts to be allowed in Tbilisi Lugar Centre only with presence of international delegates
Georgian Prime Minister’s Special Representative in Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze has responded to Russia’s demands regarding the Lugar Centre. Photo: ipress.
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Russian experts will be allowed into the US-built, Tbilisi Lugar Centre only with the presence of international delegates, within the convention on prohibition of biological weapons, and not in a bilateral format as Russia demanded earlier today, Georgian Prime Minister’s Special Representative in Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze told IPN.
Russia, which has been demonising the center for many years and claims that the US funds 'dangerous experiments’ there, has been invited to the centre many times. However, Russia has consistently refused to take up the invitation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said today that they want ‘access to all blocks and the documentation of the centre with no presence of international organisations.’
It is regrettable that Russia has chosen days when foreign states are congratulating Georgia on its independence Day to make such sharp statements. The activities of the Lugar Centre are absolutely transparent and information about the centre and its role is completely available. The center has played a crucial role in Georgia’s fight against the coronavirus,” Abashidze said.
He stated that Russia’s attacks on the Lugar Centre, which is under the full control of the Georgian government, have political grounds.
The Tbilisi-based Lugar Lab is capable of identifying the origin of certain cases of COVID-19 per its genetic sequence.
The US embassy to Georgia has stated that as the world marks the anniversary of Georgian independence and celebrates Georgia’s success in combating COVID-19, the United States protests the ongoing, provocative ‘borderisation’ by Russian-led security forces along the occupation line of the Russian-occupied Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
Russia has demanded access to all blocks and documentation of the US-built, Tbilisi Lugar Centre, and once again accused the lab of ‘conducting dangerous experiments’ following yesterday's repeat invitation from Tbilisi to receive Russian experts there. Russia says that they want the visit ‘without the presence of international organisations, in a bilateral format.’
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent has thanked the Georgian Foreign Ministry for opposing Russia’s continued propaganda, ‘which was also echoed in China’, against the US-built Lugar Lab in Tbilisi, which is administered entirely by the Georgian government.
Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region is studying a site near the village of Tsnelisi ‘where a Georgian drone violated a border on June 2 – 3,’ as the drone ‘could have been used to spread the coronavirus to the region.’
The United States representative in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has responded to claims against the Tbilisi-based Center for Public Health Research by his Russian counterpart by calling the comments "disinformation" on Thursday.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia visited the US-built Lugar Centre in Tbilisi earlier today, with heads of Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze.