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ndonesia and the United States reconfirmed their commitment to further boost relations and expand their scope through the optimization of a joint commission, as the US underscored Indonesia's critical role in the balance of interests in the region.

During a bilateral meeting in Washington, DC on Thursday with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the US Secretary of State John Kerry also emphasized US commitment to pursue a rebalancing policy in Asia as the region has increasingly been important in its economic potency and geopolitics.

'We are particularly interested in furthering this relationship as much as we can because Indonesia plays such a critical role in the balance of interests in that region, and because we've been rebalancing ourselves toward Asia. And so this relationship becomes even more important,' Kerry said.

In their first meeting since Kerry became state of secretary, both ministers underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral relation in the context of the comprehensive partnership, launched in 2010.

'Our two countries' relations are strong. They're solid. We enjoy what we call a comprehensive partnership. It's a broad area on which we cooperate, and this truly is in a sense a partnership among friends, mutually beneficial, and of a mutual ' a great deal of mutual interest,' Marty added.

Marty and Kerry agreed to step up dialogue on global issues that have become common concerns in order to contribute to the globe's problem solving.

The bilateral trade volume has increased in the past two years. A release sent to The Jakarta Post on Friday, noted trade volume reached US$ 26.5 billion in 2011.

'The relations has positive signs indicated by the increasingly trade volume,' it said.

Bilateral relations between the nations reached a highwater mark when President Barack Obama visited the country in November 2010, when he and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched the Indonesia-US Comprehensive Partnership.

Both ministers also discussed a wide range of issues, including Syria, the South China Sea, Iran, Myanmar and Korean Peninsula.