Georgian Foreign Ministry Summons Chinese Ambassador Over Reports On Lugar Biological Lab

TBILISI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd May, 2020) Georgian diplomats met with Chinese Ambassador Li Yan in light of Chinese media reports on activities at the Richard Lugar biological laboratory near Tbilisi, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, without specifying any concrete information about the reports.

"There was a meeting with the Chinese ambassador held at the Georgian Foreign Ministry in connection with the dissemination of information in the Chinese media about the Lugar laboratory," the statement read.

It added that the sides also agreed to continue close cooperation, shared information on the epidemic situation in both countries, considered issues of cooperation in international organizations and discussed Chinese aid to Georgia to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"During the meeting, the parties paid special attention to Russian propaganda about Georgia, which especially intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic and touched upon such an important medical facility as the Lugar laboratory. It was noted that, unfortunately, Russia continued attempts to mislead the international community, followed by disappointing reviews from the Chinese media," the statement said.

The Chinese side, in turn, noted that they were against inaccurate media interpretations, and expressed hope that successful relations would continue between the countries.

Earlier in April, Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, said that Moscow was aware of Washington's offer to Georgia to expand military research in the Richard Lugar biological laboratory near Tbilisi. The spokeswoman stressed that Russia could not ignore the growing presence of the US-made laboratories near its borders, and said that there was a lack of clarity about the true purposes of such labs.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said earlier in the day that she considered the attacks on the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi equivalent to discrediting Georgia and its achievements.

In September, former Georgian Minister of State Security Igor Giorgadze said the US-funded Lugar lab might have carried out lethal experiments on Hepatitis C patients. Giorgadze said he had information that 30 individuals had died in December 2015, and 43 more in April and August of 2016, all after being given treatment at the laboratory, with the causes of the deaths unconfirmed.

Moscow has repeatedly expressed concerns over the Pentagon's use of laboratories in Georgia to research ways to deliver and unleash biological weapons agents in breach of international accords. Georgia and the United States have both dismissed the accusations.