Trump wins US election: How world leaders have reacted, 11/9/16
World leaders are reacting to the
triumph of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election. As news of the result was confirmed, they began
to send congratulations - some fulsome, some more tentative - to the business
mogul.
Russia
President Vladimir Putin has
said he is willing fully to restore ties with the US following Mr Trump's
victory. "We heard the campaign statements of the future US presidential
candidate about the restoration of relations between Russia and the United
States," Mr Putin said on Wednesday. "It is not an easy path, but we
are ready to do our part and do everything to return Russian and American
relations to a stable path of development. "This would be good for both
the Russian and American people and have a positive impact on the climate of
world affairs." In Moscow meanwhile senior nationalist MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky threw a party at the parliament
building to celebrate Mr Trump's win. Former Soviet Mikhail Gorbachev has also welcomed his triumph. Relations
between the US and Russia have become more tense because of the conflicts in
Ukraine and Syria and allegations of Russian cyber attacks in the US during the
presidential campaign.
China
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated
Donald Trump in a telegram, state TV reported. Earlier the foreign ministry
said that China was hoping to work with the new US government to boost
bilateral relations. "US China trade relations are mutually beneficial.
Two mature big powers like the US and China will handle things well,"
foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. "We look forward to working
together with the new US administration to push forward consistent, healthy and
stable China-US relations which could be beneficial to the people of the two
countries and to the world."
Iran
President Hassan Rouhani said
the result would not have any impact on Iran's policies. He was quoted by state
media as saying the election result reflected internal discontent and
instability within the US which would take a long time to be solved. Speaking
in relation to the Iran nuclear deal, President Rouhani asserted that it was a
clever move by the Iranian government to establish it as a UN Security Council
resolution rather than a deal with a single government.
Earlier Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted by the
official Irna news agency as saying that the new US president should stick by the
deal. "Iran and America have no political relations, but it is important
that the future US president realises his duty to uphold the multilateral
obligations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and we expect the
international community to require this of the United States of America,"
he said.
Iraq
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated
Mr Trump, saying he's looking forward to America's continued support in his
country's fight against Islamic State (IS). Mr Abadi said he hopes the
"world and the United States will continue to support Iraq in fighting
terrorism". Mr Trump's future policy in the Middle East remains unclear.
Afghanistan
President Ashraf Ghani said
that his country and the US are "strategic partners in the fight against
terrorism and partners in development". "[The] Afghan government is
hopeful that close co-operation [with] the new president-elect will further
deepen ties between the two countries," a statement released by the
presidential palace said. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah added
that "combating extremism and efforts to bring peace and stability"
are the top priorities of both countries, along with strengthening economic,
military, social and cultural ties.
Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says
that "Canada has no closer friend, partner and ally than the United
States". "We look forward to working very closely with
President-elect Trump, his administration, and with the United States Congress
in the years ahead, including on issues such as trade, investment, and
international peace and security," he says.
Mexico
Conspicuously, President Enrique Pena Nieto does
not congratulate Mr Trump on his victory. Instead, he congratulates the US
"for its electoral process" and tells the president-elect that he
hopes the two countries will work together to form a stronger relationship.
Venezuela
The foreign ministry congratulated
Donald Trump on his win, adding that they hoped the new chapter would be marked
by "respect for non-intervention in internal affairs".
President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused Washington of
trying to overthrow the South American country's government, a charge that has
been rejected by State Department representatives. The two countries continue
to engage in trade despite not having embassies in their respective capitals
since 2010.
UK
In her message of congratulations, Prime Minister Theresa May focused on the "special
relationship" between the two countries. She said that she hoped that Mr
Trump's win would mean a continuation of shared values, including
"freedom, democracy and enterprise". "We are, and will remain,
strong and close partners on trade, security and defense," she said. "I
look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump, building on these
ties to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years
ahead."
France
President Francois Hollande said
Mr Trump's victory "opens a period of uncertainty". Speaking in a
televised address, he said that there was now a greater need for a united
Europe, able to wield influence on the international stage and promote its
values and interests whenever they are challenged.
Germany
"The US is an old and venerable democracy,"
Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "I
watched the election result with particular suspense. Someone elected to be
president by the American people in free and fair elections has importance far
beyond the USA. "For us Germans, other than with the European Union, we
have no deeper connection than with the United States of America."
Czech Republic
President Milos Zeman said
Mr Trump's election was a victory over "media manipulation" as he
congratulated the new US president. "I would like to cordially
congratulate Donald Trump. I had, as one of few European politicians, declared
public support for this candidate... because I agree with his opinions on
migration as well as the fight against Islamic terrorism," Zeman told
reporters in a rare press briefing at the Prague Castle. "I appreciate
Donald Trump's public demeanor, he speaks clearly, sometimes roughly, but
understandably, and avoids what is sometimes called political
correctness."
India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
tweets said: "We look forward to working with you closely to take India-US
bilateral ties to a new height," he said.
Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged
a continuing close relationship between the US and Japan in his congratulatory
message. "I express my heartfelt congratulations on your election as the
next president of the United States," his statement said. "Japan and
the United States are unshakeable allies connected by common values such as
freedom, democracy, basic human rights and rule of law."
Turkey
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
on Wednesday he hoped Mr Trump's victory would lead to positive steps for the
Middle East and more freedom in the world. He called Mr Trump to congratulate
him and the pair spoke about cooperation on issues including fighting
terrorism, the Turkish presidency said. "I hope that this choice of the
American people will lead to beneficial steps being taken for the world
concerning basic rights and freedoms, democracy and developments in our
region," Mr Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has wasted no time in urging the
president-elect to extradite exiled US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen,
who is blamed for orchestrating a coup attempt earlier this year, a charge he
denies. "If you extradite in a short time the head of a terror organization
who has damaged our historic friendship, I am sure that you can give Turkish-US
relations a new start and open a new page," he said.
Palestinian territories
President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated
Mr Trump in a statement, expressing hope that "peace will be achieved
during his term".
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
he hoped to reach "new heights" in relations with Mr Trump, who he
described as "a true friend of the state of Israel". "I look
forward to working with him to advance security, stability and peace in our
region," he said. Earlier hard line Jewish Home party leader and Education
Minister Naftali Bennett said the notion of a Palestinian state
was over after Donald Trump's win. "Trump's victory is an opportunity for
Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the centre
of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause," he said. "This
is the position of the president-elect... The era of a Palestinian state is
over."
Liberia
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf tells
the BBC that she is "extremely saddened" by Donald Trump's victory. "Our
concern is whether President-elect Trump will have an African agenda and build
bridges," she said. "We can only hope that he will do so in due
course." The president said that she was worried about the future of trade
deals between the US and Liberia in particular and Africa in general. "We
do not know what his policy towards Africa will be," she said.
"Obviously we are concerned but we will have to give him
the benefit of the doubt."
Scandinavia
Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway may have had concerns about
the new president, but were hopeful their close relations with the US would
continue. "Let's give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt,"
Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Loekke
Rasmussen said, as he urged the US not to "close in"
on itself.
Any surprise was met with a shrug by Finnish Prime
Minister Juha Sipila, a self-made millionaire, who pointed out
the polls "got it pretty badly wrong about Brexit as well".
He said that US relations for Finland, which shares a 1,300km
(800 mile) border with Russia, are of "paramount" importance and that
Trump's victory wouldn't mean a change in the non-aligned county's defense
policy, its close ties to Nato or Finnish-Russian relations. Meanwhile,
Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg congratulated
Donald Trump, and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said
many Swedes were concerned about the election result, but that they had been
"prepared" for it.
Poland
Polish President Andrzej Duda congratulated
Mr Trump in a letter, and said: "We are particularly pleased that during
this year's Nato Summit in Warsaw the US decided to increase its military
presence in Poland, thereby strengthening the Alliance's Eastern flank. "We
sincerely hope that your leadership will open new opportunities for our
co-operation based on mutual commitment."
Nicaragua
President Daniel Ortega -
who won his third term as leader on Sunday - said he believed "it is
possible to work with the United States" on the world's problems
"giving priority to peace" as he congratulated Mr Trump.
The United Nations
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said
that "in the aftermath of a hard-fought and often divisive campaign, it is
worth recalling and reaffirming that the unity in diversity of the United
States is one of the country's greatest strengths".
"I encourage all Americans to stay true to that spirit.
Today's global challenges demand concerted global action and joint solutions.
As a founding member of the United Nations and permanent member of the Security
Council, the United States is an essential actor across the international
agenda," he said. Mr Ban added that "people everywhere look to the
United States to use its remarkable power to help lift humanity up and to work
for the common good" which included the battle against climate change,
advancing human rights and "promoting mutual understanding... to achieve
lives of peace, prosperity and dignity for all".
The Vatican
Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin says
the Vatican "respects the American people's choice" and hopes that
Donald Trump will "serve the wellbeing and peace of the world". "There
is need for everyone to work to change the world situation, which is in great
distress", he is quoted by La Repubblica newspaper as saying.
The European Union
Foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said
that trans-Atlantic ties with the US went beyond the election of Donald Trump.
"We'll continue to work together, rediscovering the
strength of Europe," she said.
EU Parliament President Martin Schulz said
the result must be honoured and that Mr Trump "managed to become the
standard-bearer of the angst and fears of millions of Americans".
Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte, the
Philippines' tough-talking leader, offered his "warm congratulations"
to the US president-elect. According to his communications secretary, Mr
Duterte "looks forward to working with the incoming administration for
enhanced Philippines-US relations anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit
and shared commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law".
Several leaders of right-wing parties in Europe have also
welcomed Mr Trump's victory.
Marine Le Pen,
the leader of the far-right French National Front (FN), sent her best wishes to
Mr Trump, tweeting: "Congratulations to the new president of the United
States Donald Trump and the free American people!"
Dutch anti-Islam populist lawmaker Geert Wilders also tweeted his congratulations.
Nigel Farage,
the leader of the UK Independence Party who played a key role in the referendum
leading to Britain's exit from the EU, tweeted: "I hand over the mantle to
@RealDonaldTrump! Many congratulations. You have fought a brave campaign."
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37919394
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