ForMin Toiu, Secy. Rubio discuss strengthening Romania-U.S. strategic partnership

Romania's Foreign Minister Oana Toiu and the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday evening discussed strengthening the strategic partnership betwee Romania and the U.S."The discussion reflected the joint commitment to strengthening the Romanian-American bilateral relationship and reviewed the main areas of collaboration, the latest developments in joint projects and future plans. Both officials underlined the importance of deepening the Romania-US strategic partnership and continuing bilateral cooperation in priority areas such as security and defence, energy and investment in innovation," according to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE).Toiu highlighted the excellent cooperation with the U.S. inside NATO and bilaterally, as well as the essential contribution of the American military presence on Romania's soil to the security of Europe and the Euro-Atlantic space."She mentioned the important potential in terms of co-production in defence industry, which is beginning to be capitalised on through concrete projects such as those in ammunition production and high-performance military radars," said MAE.Toiu, conveyed the appreciation of Romania's President Nicusor Dan for an invitation from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to make an official visit to Washington at the beginning of next year.Toiu's to New York in September will allow the continuation of the dialogue in preparation for Dan's visit."Reflecting the decisions adopted at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Romania has taken steps to strengthen its defence spending, strengthening its national capabilities, supporting the host nation to NATO troops on its soil and contributing to the Alliance's objectives of deterrence and defence on the eastern flank. Special emphasis was placed on the strategic importance of the Black Sea, with Romania reaffirming its commitment to cooperation with NATO and other international partners, in order to ensure the safety of navigation and natural gas drilling projects in the Black Sea."In the area of energy, ongoing bilateral projects were highlighted, with a focus on the development of reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and the development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology at Doicesti.Romania thus strengthens its role in regional energy security and in the development of transit routes, said MAE.Toiu voiced confidence that the internal security objectives of the Trump Administration will be supported by Romania's participation in the Visa Waiver Program, reaffirming the special importance that the Romanian authorities attach to this subject and their commitment to cooperating closely with the American institutions involved, as well as the good collaboration and important contribution of the prime minister in pursuing this objective.At the invitation of the U.S. via Rubio, Toiu announced Romania's plans to join the Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables at the UN Assembly in September.Toiu welcomed the signing of the EU-U.S. trade agreement, stressing its importance to the stability of the transatlantic relationship and reiterating Romania's support for achieving a balanced and constructive compromise between the two parties in the interest of producers, consumers and investors from the EU and the U.S.