Biosecurity Issues Discussed in Minsk

On July 13, Minsk hosted the second meeting of the Coordination Council of Authorized Bodies of the CSTO Member States on Biological Security.

Anna Popova, Chairperson of the Coordination Council, Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare and Chief State Sanitary Physician of Russia, noted the extreme importance of preventing new threats and challenges in this area.

“We see the intentions of Western countries to use technological results, results of science, unfortunately, not for the good of man and not for the good of humanity. The materials that were discovered by the Russian military on the territory of Ukraine in those laboratories, which were financed and maintained by the defence ministries of Western countries, once again show us how relevant this topic is,” Anna Popova stressed.

The meeting considered the draft regulations of the Coordination Council of Authorized Bodies of the CSTO Member States on Biological Security, as well as the report on military biological threats in the CSTO area. The meeting resulted in the adoption of a number of constructive decisions that will serve to strengthen the biological sovereignty of the Organization’s Member States.

As you may recall, on December 5, 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA) adopted a statement on the inadmissibility of the development of biological and toxin weapons, as well as on strict compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

The next meeting of the Coordination Council is set for December