(Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed avenues for expanding U.S. participation in Liberia's critical minerals sector in a meeting this week with Liberian Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the State Department said on Friday.

Rubio and Nyanti met in Washington on Thursday to discuss deepening U.S.-Liberia bilateral relations and expanding U.S. commercial engagement in Liberia, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

"The meeting explored avenues for expanding U.S. participation in Liberia's critical minerals sector with the aim of creating jobs and economic growth in both the United States and Liberia," Pigott said.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Christian Martinez; editing by Costas Pitas)