The meeting of the defence minister, Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca, with the US Secretary of Defence, Mark T. Esper, took place on Wednesday, 12 February, as part of the Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers.

The meeting of the two dignitaries was an opportunity to discuss the main topics of cooperation with the USA both at bilateral level and within Allied context.

The talks emphasized the dynamic pace of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States as well as ways of increasing defence cooperation, as essential elements for ensuring security and stability in the region.

The main lines of action are ensuring an enhanced presence of the US troops on the national territory and in the Black Sea region, developing technical-military cooperation and intensifying the exercises conducted on Romanian territory, both at bilateral level and within NATO, with a view of consolidating NATO's presence and visibility on the Southern segment of the Eastern flank.

Also, the meeting was an opportunity for the US part to emphasize Romania's contribution to the equitable burden sharing, on all its dimensions: allocated resources, built capabilities and participation in operations, missions and activities.

The Press Office