The military-political situation around the Republic of South Ossetia has a tendency to become more complicated, said Major General Viktor Fedorov, Chief of the General Staff of the Republic's Armed Forces, speaking at the reporting meeting of the Defense Ministry.
“The policy of the Government of Georgia is aimed at restoring the so-called territorial integrity of the country and working closely with representatives of the North Atlantic Alliance. In turn, NATO countries, primarily the United States and a number of European countries, provide full support to Georgia in addressing these issues. The military-political course of Georgia is still aimed at increasing the military potential and bringing the Georgian Armed Forces to NATO standards,” said Fedorov.
According to him, one cannot but state systematic shelling of the border marks and provocations at the border, which maintain tension in the border areas.
“But, in my opinion, in peacetime, the main threat from Georgia towards South Ossetia is to place in close proximity to the borders of the Republic a biological laboratory named after Richard Lugar, which is a “constant source of biological threats.” The artificially introduced situation and economic sabotage South Ossetia experienced in 2016-2018, “- said the Major General.
The chief of the General Staff has added that there is a systematic increase in the scale and intensity of operational training of the Georgian armed forces according to NATO standards, with active involvement of the command and staff structures of the Alliance.
“The leaders of our Republic have repeatedly focused on this issue,” said Fedorov.
He has reminded that on December 14, at the meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, held in Brussels under the chairmanship of the Alliance Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, the North Atlantic Alliance declared its readiness to deepen cooperation with Georgia in ensuring security on the Black Sea.
“It is obvious that there is an unhurried process of building up the NATO presence in the region, and the militaristic sentiments of the Georgian leadership and the inevitable escalation of tension in Transcaucasia are fed by the exercises,” the Major General said.
The chief of the General Staff has stressed that the Georgian leadership is not refusing the use of force to resolve the armed conflict and is not going to sign a non-aggression agreement with South Ossetia.
“NATO countries and the United States continue to consistently and systematically support the leadership of Georgia in its aggressive goals, the Georgian government is actively building up its military potential by signing agreements on the supply of new weapons, the Georgian leadership is actively training its Armed Forces, taking part in peacekeeping operations and various joint exercises with Armed forces of the USA and NATO of different levels,” said Fedorov.
It should be reminded that the laboratory named after Richard Lugar was established in Georgia with the support of the United States in 2011. The Health Ministry of Georgia has stated that since 2013 this facility is fully subordinate to the Georgian National Center for Disease Control and is funded from the state budget.
At the end of December 2018, at a press conference in Moscow, Anna Popova, head of the Russian Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Surveillance, said that four projects with deadly infections were being developed in the Lugar laboratory in Georgia. At the same time, an increase in the number of cases is recorded in Georgia.
According to A. Popova, of particular concern is that from the United States and international organizations so far "have not been received adequate explanations, they hold closed meetings, do not make statements" about the information received from the former Minister of State Security of Georgia (in 1993- 1995) Igor Giorgadze.
At a press conference in September 2018 in Moscow, Igor Giorgadze made a statement that particularly dangerous bacteria and viruses could be produced in a laboratory operating near Tbilisi under the auspices of the United States. In particular, he referred to the testimony of the American citizen Jeffrey Silvermann, according to whom in the laboratory named after R. Lugar "they produce hazardous substances and test them on the local population."
Meanwhile, in Georgia at the end of 2018, an unfavorable epidemiological situation developed in connection with the outbreak of the H1N1 strain of influenza virus (a subtype of influenza A virus).
On February 13, 2019, the National Center for Disease Control of the Health Ministry of Georgia reported that in the current season, the laboratory tests confirmed 22 deaths caused by the so-called “swine flu” virus.
Since January 11, South Ossetia suspended the work of checkpoints on the border with Georgia in order to prevent the possible spread of the H1N1 type influenza virus in the Republic. The pass of citizens resumed on March 15.
