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The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI, announced Tuesday the establishment of a North America research center based in Washington, DC.

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

The organisation's director, Dr Bates Gill, said in a statement that the North America centre will enhance its active engagement with expert and policy communities around the world.

"SIPRI has a long history of providing independent, innovative and international perspectives on contemporary challenges to peace and security. SIPRI North America will give us a new platform for SIPRI's research on conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament. It will also help to build bridges between researchers and policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic", he said.

Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open source, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.