Hillary Clinton: Romania, one of the most dependable allies and most respected partners
of the United States

Bucharest, May 8 /Agerpres/ - Romania is 'one of the most dependable allies and most respected partners of the United States', US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stated on the occasion of the meeting on Friday, in Washington, with Romania's Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu, MAE informs in a release.

At the end of the meeting, Cristian Diaconescu underlined that it represented a timely opportunity to reconfirm the strategic partnership between Romania and the US.

'We agreed together that the Black Sea and Eastern Europe are areas of great potential for democratic and economic development in the future. And I can tell you that United States, together with Romania, will work hard in order to address democracy values, in order to respect standards, and to engage in projects for stability and security of these regions', added Chief of the Romanian diplomacy.

Also addressed was the issue of how Romania and the US are going to work together to facilitate reciprocal travel for their citizens through Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program, said Diaconescu.

He added that talks with Secretary Clinton on aspects of utmost interest of the bilateral relationship were focused on the deepening of the economic component of the strategic bilateral partnership.

Included on the agenda were also subjects as energy security projects, extremely important for both countries, as well as cooperation in the theaters of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 'Romania has proved it is ready to assume responsibilities aimed at fully support freedom and democratic development, objectives we hope to attain in the shortest time possible together with the USA', underscored Cristian Diaconescu.

In her turn, the American Secretary of State reminded the long lasting cooperation relations between Romania and the USA as regards global security priorities and voiced gratitude for Romania's engagement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. Hillary Clinton also addressed thanks to Romania for its decision to host joint military exercises with the US military.

Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Cristian Diaconescu is paying a visit to Washington, over May 6-8. This is the first Romanian-American high level meeting with the new American Administration. Visit's agenda includes meetings with the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, with Anthony Blinken, the National Security Adviser to the US Vice President, with prominent members of the American Congress, as well as a speech given in the framework of the events called 'Global Leadership Series', hosted by the Atlantic Council of the United States.

[Source: Romanian National News Agency AGERPRES ]