Georgia Ready to Allow Russian Experts to Visit Lugar Laboratory in Tbilisi

Georgia has said it is ready to allow Russian experts to visit the Lugar Laboratory in Tbilisi within the framework of the international exercise.

The MFA Georgia today responded to the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement, which said that Russia is waiting for a response from Georgia to the request of Russian specialists to enter the US founded Richard Lugar Laboratory in Tbilisi, as Moscow is "concerned about the lack of information about the work of the laboratory."  

Russia's Foreign Ministry claims that they requested a visit to the laboratory back in June 2019, however, "The Georgian side has not yet responded to their request."

"We are waiting for the official response of Tbilisi. The point of our concern is that Washington does not explain to us what it is doing near the Russian border. This is naturally the subject of our interest in the context of national security," said the Russian MFA.

The Agency accused Moscow of making false allegations against the Lugar Lab.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia appeals to the international community, first of all to the participants of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons, to assess the aggressive statements of the Russian officials towards Georgia, to condemn the obvious misinformation and not to allow raising doubts about the successful functioning of the exemplary institution in the region.

"To this end, although Georgia has no bilateral legal obligations on this issue, the country is ready to host another exercise/visit under the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons, including with the participation of Russian experts," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: Moscow "Concerned" about "Lack of Information" on Lugar Lab's Work