VIENNA, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A joint agreement between the Russian and U.S. governments lays the groundwork for bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy, the U.S. Energy Department said.
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz met Sergei Kirienko, director general of Russia's nuclear regulator Rosatom, on the sidelines of a Vienna conference for the International Atomic Energy Agency to sign off on a nuclear energy agreement.
"This agreement supports President Obama's non-proliferation and climate priorities by providing a venue for scientific collaboration and relationship-building between the U.S. and Russian research and technical communities," Moniz said in a statement Monday.
The Energy Department said both sides may examine the potential for a multipurpose international nuclear research center. Both sides are equal partners in the agreement and share any costs associated with programs envisioned under the measure.
The year marks the 10th anniversary of a bilateral agreement for the Russian conversion of more than 500 tons of highly enriched uranium for use in U.S. commercial nuclear reactors.
The U.S. and Russian governments are part of a multilateral negotiating team assessing North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs.
