U.S. AND ARMENIA PLAN TO LAUNCH PARTNERSHIP ON THE BIOLOGICAL THREAT REDUCTION PROGRAM
Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2009
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The Government of the Republic
of Armenia and the Government of the United States of America are
planning to sign the Agreement between the Department of Defense of
the United States of America and the Ministry of Emergency Situations
of the Republic of Armenia Concerning Cooperation in the Area of
Prevention of Proliferation of Technology, Pathogens and Expertise
that Could Be Used in the Development of Biological Weapons within
the framework of the Biological Threat Reduction Program.
The Program seeks partners in the global fight against biological
weapons proliferation. Through the Program the Armenian Ministry of
Emergency Situations and the U.S. Department of Defense will work
to improve Armenia’s overall biosafety and biosecurity systems and
procedures, consolidate and secure dangerous pathogen collections
and research, and enhance capacity to detect, diagnose, report and
respond to outbreaks.
Work on the Biological Threat Reduction Program will be carried out
under the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of
America and the Government of the Republic of Armenia Concerning
Cooperation in the Area of Counterproliferation of Weapons of Mass
Destruction that was signed in 2000 and the bilateral Biological Threat
Reduction Program legal framework agreement that the governments of
the United States and the Republic of Armenia will sign soon.
According to the report of the U.S. Embassy in RA, the Biological
Threat Reduction Program already works in Ukraine, Georgia, Russia,
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.