Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday received a thank-you letter from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulating Romania on having successfully organised in Bucharest the Eighth Round of the Strategic Dialogue between Romania and the United States and underlying the importance that the US attaches to joint efforts to strengthen security in the Black Sea region, write Agerpres.

According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), Blinken in his letter voices appreciation for the substantive discussions between the two high-ranking officials in their telephone conversation on March 6, underlining the joint efforts to support Ukraine amidst a complex security context generated by Russia’s aggression, and the need to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable partners in the region, such as Moldova.

Blinken is also quoted as voicing appreciation for Romania having hosted a substantial meeting of the strategic dialogue, for its results, as well as for the breadth and depth of the Romanian-American bilateral relationship, highlighting the excellent premises for the consolidation of the strategic partnership between Romania and the US resulting from the eighth round of the strategic dialogue on March 14 in areas of major interest, such as security, economy, energy, justice and home affairs, as well as at the level of people-to-people contacts.

The Romanian delegation at the eighth round on March 14 was led by Iulian Fota, senior strategic affairs official, and the American side by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Dereck Hogan.

At the end of the round, the US and Romania passed a joint statement.