MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) - There are positive dynamics in negotiations between Russia and the United States concerning the Nunn-Lugar program, says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
U.S. Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security "Rose Gottemoeller and I share the opinion that there is progress in the negotiations," Ryabkov said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
"We have planned new contacts at various levels for the coming period," Ryabkov said. "Intensity of these contacts is not declining but in fact increasing, which shows that the work is moving ahead vigorously," he said.
At the same time, "there is a universal rule in diplomacy, which says that nothing is agreed upon until everything is agreed upon," Ryabkov said. "I will not talk about results at the present time, as this would be premature," he said.
Ryabkov denied that a new agreement replacing the Nunn-Lugar agreement is being prepared for signature. "We are looking for a new framework of our future work. I can't tell you now what this will mean from the viewpoint of legal and technical formalization of these agreements," he said.
Ryabkov and Gottemoeller held talks regarding the Nunn-Lugar program in Geneva on March 19-20. The two countries started these talks after Russia said at the end of 2012 that the Nunn-Lugar program was outdated and suggested that this work should be modified.
The Agreement Between the Russian Federation and the United States of America Concerning the Safe and Secure Transportation, Storage and Destruction of Weapons and the Prevention of Weapons Proliferation of June 17, 1992, known informally as the Nunn-Lugar program, has been extended twice, the first time until June 2006 and the second until June 2013. It envisioned, in particular, cooperation in improving safety of storage and transportation of nuclear materials.
Russia announced in October 2012 that it would not extend the agreement unless its provisions are substantially revised.