Georgia among 10 states reaffirming transparency, importance of biological threat reduction partnerships

Governments of 10 countries, including Georgia, on Monday released a joint statement reaffirming the transparency and significance of their partnerships in biological threat reduction for global health security, stressing the cooperative efforts are “devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes and have nothing to do with weapons”.

Involving Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Liberia, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ukraine and the United States, the statement noted their partnerships with each other in a transparent manner for the Biological Threat Reduction Programme.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of strong national capacities for infectious disease surveillance, diagnosis, and response. International cooperation and assistance play a critical role in building these capacities. Our governments have partnered openly and transparently through the Biological Threat Reduction Program”, their release said.

It also stressed the partnerships protected the health of humans and animals, including in the prevention, detection and control of infectious disease outbreaks, and in enhancing laboratory biosafety and biosecurity.

As partners in this program, we each have firsthand knowledge of its relevance to our shared goal of cooperating to strengthen global health security and reduce the impacts of infectious diseases on our societies”, the comments noted.

“Our governments strongly affirm the common view that such cooperation should not be undermined, but rather promoted and reinforced”, the statement concluded.