On Oct. 20 Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said there is no bilateral arms‑control dialogue between Russia and the United States; contacts occur only sporadically on the margins of international events such as disarmament talks, the UN General Assembly First Committee and UNGA sessions. He said he does not rule out new contacts if France, as P5 coordinator, helps concretize an agenda, but any contacts would still take place on the margins of international meetings.