Rubio calls for trilateral nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China

The United States supports dialogue with China, as any confrontation between Washington and Beijing would have global consequences, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meetings in the Philippines, Rubio stressed that Washington favours a trilateral framework for nuclear arms control involving the United States, Russia and China, Caliber.Az reports.

“We've talked about it in the past, and I think the president's [Donald Trump] point, and he's right, is in the modern era if we're going to have nuclear arms restriction talks and arms control talks, that has to include the Chinese side because they're rapidly building their own nuclear capabilities,” he added.

Rubio also praised Beijing’s position on freedom of navigation, saying that China had made it unequivocally clear that it did not support any restrictions on navigation in international waters, adding that such a statement from a country like China was important.

The secretary of state further said Washington remains committed to resolving tensions with Iran through diplomacy and reaching a new agreement. “I think everybody here understands that the US would love to reach a diplomatic settlement. We would love to reach an agreement if it were possible with Iran that would ensure they never have a nuclear weapon and obviously help stop them, and we'd love to have an agreement where they say ‘we'll no longer sponsor terrorism and we won't, and we will not pursue a nuclear weapon or the things you need for a nuclear weapon’,” Rubio said.

At the same time, he questioned whether Tehran is prepared to accept such conditions and accused the Islamic Republic of violating commitments outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran in June.

Rubio also revealed that the United States is in talks with other countries on establishing a secure corridor for cargo transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Some of them have different ways; they have to get there in terms of how it's authorised: Some need an international flag. You know, they need to do it under the mandate of an international organisation. Some need to go through the legislative process,” the secretary of state explained.

He added that many countries should have a direct interest in ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz because they depend on oil imports from the Gulf region.

Commenting on the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, Rubio said the United States has no direct leverage over the Houthis but will continue working to help de-escalate tensions across the region.

By Jeyhun Aghazada