Kyrgyzstan Develops a Law Prohibiting the Deployment of Biolaboratories In the Country

Dinara Ashimova, a deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh, presented for public discussion a new draft law of the Kyrgyz Republic on Biosecurity. In the third quarter of 2023, it will be submitted for discussion to the government and then to the parliament.

The document is designed to fulfil Kyrgyzstan’s international obligations to ensure biosecurity. It establishes legal norms in the field of ensuring biosecurity in the country and formalizes state guarantees regarding an appropriate level of protection of the people and environment from possible adverse effects of biological agents and the use of biotechnology products.

“Given the increasing risks and threats to biological security and their transboundary nature, it is necessary to legally regulate the system of ensuring biological security of the country in accordance with the recommendations on harmonization and approximation of legislation of the CIS countries in the field of ensuring biological security,” the reference note reads.

The draft law defines the main tasks and principles of ensuring biological security, types of biological threats and measures for legal and international regulation.

At the moment, the Kyrgyz Republic does not have a law that provides legal regulation within the country and defines the activities of government agencies and other stakeholders in ensuring biosecurity.

“This draft law fills the legal gap in ensuring biosecurity and fulfilment of the Kyrgyz Republic’s obligations under international treaties in the field of biosecurity,” the lawmakers explained.

Nurbolot Usenbaev, Chairman of the working group developing the draft law and deputy Director of the Republican Centre for Quarantine and Extremely Dangerous Infections, said that the draft takes into account the experience and legislation on biological security of many countries.

“We are now trying to take into account all factors, including CSTO recommendations on biosecurity. The issue of biosecurity cannot be addressed by any country alone, there are unified international approaches to this issue,” Mr Usenbaev emphasized.

As you may recall, at a meeting in Moscow on December 5, 2022, the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly adopted the Statement on the Inadmissibility of the Development of Biological (Bacteriological) and Toxin Weapons. The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly experts also prepared a draft law on medical and biological security.

In 2023, the CSTO Charter was amended to stipulate that the Member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization cooperate, among other areas, in the field of biological security.