Romania needs American investment, major projects, smart financing and cooperation in sectors that matter for long-term security and development, but for these things to happen, it must remain a serious partner, acting Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said.

Nazare met on Thursday with Allison Hooker, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and with U.S. Ambassador Darryl Nirenberg.

'The Strategic Partnership with the United States must also be an economic accelerator for Romania. We need American investment, major projects, smart financing and cooperation in sectors that matter for our long-term security and development. For these things to happen, Romania must remain a serious, credible and predictable partner. Investors go where there is stability, clear rules, fiscal responsibility and well-prepared projects,' Nazare wrote on Facebook on Thursday evening.

The meeting covered strategic projects where Romania - U.S. cooperation can advance faster - energy, strategic infrastructure, critical minerals, investment financing - as well as the role of U.S. institutions such as the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which supports private investment in strategic projects, and U.S. Exim Bank - which backs U.S. exports and international projects with American participation. They also discussed tools to attract more private capital into Romania's economy.

Nazare said a key point was Romania's access to financing for strategic projects, including in defence and security. 'In the current context, countries seeking to strengthen security must be capable of also building modern financing mechanisms. We cannot talk about resilience, secure energy, critical infrastructure or industry without capital, mature projects and credible partners. We also approached the importance of Romania's OECD accession. For us, this is not only a diplomatic goal, but a step that can lower financing costs, increase investor confidence and open access to funds and companies that require a predictable framework aligned with developed economies,' Nazare wrote.

He emphasized that Romania and the United States have built, over time, a solid relationship based on trust and shared values, and that the next stage must deliver more concrete economic results: investment, capital, technology, strategic infrastructure, energy and value-added projects in Romania, adding that one of his constant objectives at the helm of the Finance Ministry has been to make Romania more visible to U.S. financial institutions, investors and companies. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Andreea Marinescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)