U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, standing alongside Germany's foreign minister, on Sunday stressed the strategic importance of relations between the two countries, which have been battered by new allegations of U.S. spying on Berlin.
"Let me emphasize the relationship between the United States and Germany is a strategic one,'' Kerry said in Vienna on the sidelines of nuclear talks with Iran. "We have enormous political cooperation and we are great friends."
Kerry, appearing alongside Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier, did not address the latest spy scandal, though his remarks appeared aimed at the subject. "We will continue to work together in the kind of spirit we exhibited today in a very thorough discussion,'' he said, adding that he wished Germany well in its World Cup soccer final against Argentina on Sunday.