MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2020) NATO should strengthen protection measures against biological weapons and already decided to make advancements in intelligence sharing, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German dpa news agency in an interview, published on Tuesday.
According to Stoltenberg, COVID-19 was not created in a lab and has natural origins but the ongoing pandemic shows that the use of biological weapons can lead to dangerous outcomes. The NATO chief mentioned that biological weapons, like chemical weapons, are outlawed by international law but the alliance needs to be ready to protect itself as there is a threat that some states or terrorists may use them.
Stoltenberg added that NATO has units that specialize in defense against biological weapons and they are participating in military drills. The secretary general called for further strengthening protection capabilities in the field and mentioned that the alliance plans to improve the exchange of intelligence data to prevent possible attacks.
When asked about how NATO would respond if someone uses biological weapons, Stoltenberg recalled the expulsion of Russian diplomats following the alleged poisoning of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in the UK. The secretary general said that the alliance's response was a clear message to Moscow, adding that even though NATO does not have prohibited weapons it has a wide range of possibilities for how to react to such incidents proportionately.
Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in March 2018 in the UK city of Salisbury. The United Kingdom believes that Russia played a role in what it calls a murder attempt, an allegation Moscow has denied. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that there was no evidence incriminating Moscow.
In reaction to the incident, NATO member states and allies have expelled over 100 Russian diplomats, and Moscow has responded in kind.
