US organizes nuclear weapons meeting with China, Russia, France, UK

The State Department said Friday that the U.S. had organized a meeting of “working-level experts” from China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland earlier this month to discuss nuclear weapons issues. 

The agency said in a statement that America was the chair of the dialogue among the five nuclear weapons states, which is an ongoing exchange in the context of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

Signed in 1968, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was an agreement by several of the major nuclear and non-nuclear powers that pledged cooperation in stemming the spread of nuclear technology.

The meeting took place from June 13-14 in Cairo, Egypt. 

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“The experts from respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense discussed strategic risk reduction, as well as nuclear doctrines and policy,” the department said. 

The U.S. delegation included members of the Departments of State and Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The State Department said the delegation had “welcomed the professional approach of the delegations and the inclusion of defense officials in the thematic discussions.”

As a part of its chairmanship, the U.S. will continue to facilitate such discussion among nuclear experts from these five countries on these important topics.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House press briefing that the talks were part of “a routine, continuing dialogue.”

“This one was in Cairo earlier this month. We chaired it.  It was a good opportunity. The State Department put a statement out; I’d certainly encourage you to talk to them.  But, you know, it was a good opportunity for dialogue about nuclear safety protocols and procedures.  It’s done at a working level,” he said. 

A spokesperson for the State Department told the news agency that experts had also met in Dubai in February as part of the dialogue.

“We found both multilateral conversations to be professional and useful,” the spokesperson said in an email that did not address the question of whether any bilateral talks took place.

Reuters contributed to this report.