Minister of Foreign Affairs Lazar Comanescu met on Wednesday U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, with the Romanian chief diplomat taking the opportunity to highlight the "excellent level" of the Romanian - U.S. political and military cooperation and the interest in strengthening the U.S. presence in Romania, reads a Foreign Ministry release."We agreed to strengthen cooperation and bilateral dialogue, and the U.S. Secretary of State accepted the invitation extended by his Romanian counterpart to visit Romania next year," reads the release. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Comanescu reiterated the idea that the relationship with the U.S. remains a pillar of Romania's foreign and security policy. "In his turn, the Secretary of State remarked Romania's capacity as a responsible and trustworthy ally, evoking its contribution, alongside the U.S., to the fight of terrorism. At the same time, he highlighted Romania's role in the region as a factor of stability, from the standpoint of economic development included," the release reads further. During the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Dec. 2 NATO Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, the two officials mentioned the results of the recent meeting in Bucharest of the Task Force on the implementation of the Joint Declaration on the Romania — U.S. Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century, and underscored the importance of developing the economic dimension of the Romania — U.S. Strategic Partnership.