PRESS RELEASE

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Russia and U.S. Beginning Strategic Stability Dialogue

July 20, 2017 (EIRNS)—Citing a U.S. diplomatic source, TASS reports that the just-completed talks in Washington between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, marked the beginning of a "strategic stability dialogue."

Following the meeting of the two diplomats on July 17-18, the State Department released a statement mentioning talks on strategic stability, and convening a new meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) overseeing the implementation of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Moscow and Washington are "committed to holding future New START Bilateral Consultative Commission and Strategic Stability Talks, and will exchange scheduling proposals in the near future," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

"The United States and Russia continue to implement the New START Treaty in a pragmatic manner," Ryabkov said. "The U.S. and Russian delegations continued the discussion of practical issues related to the implementation of the Treaty."

"Strategic Stability Talks, which are separate from the BCC, will be a bilateral interagency exchange on a number of issues related to maintaining strategic stability between Russia and the United States,"

TASS quoted him.