German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday led a chorus of European praise for Barack Obama, with the United States’ traditional allies looking to yet more openness and better trade ties from the President’s second mandate.
“I look forward to continuing this (cooperation), so that both our countries can continue to work side-by-side to master the most important foreign and economic challenges that we face as friends and allies.”
Ms. Merkel cited the pair’s past “close and friendly cooperation” regarding the ongoing financial crisis, peacekeeping in Afghanistan and efforts to control Iran’s nuclear programme.
British PM David Cameron stressed cooperation on efforts to revive the world economy and resolve diplomatic conundrums, such as the Syrian conflict, as the key issues facing transatlantic relations over the next four years.
“There are so many things that we need to do: we need to kick start the world economy and I want to see an EU-US trade deal,” Mr. Cameron said in a statement issued during his current tour of the Middle East.
“Right here in Jordan I am hearing appalling stories about what has happened inside Syria, so one of the first things I want to talk to Barack about is how we must do more to try and solve this crisis,” Mr. Cameron said.
In his congratulatory message to Mr. Obama, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to the association between the two leaders over the past four years and recalled that cooperation between the two countries has not only been advanced across the full spectrum of ties but engagement has been deepened.
In Brussels, European Union President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Mr. Obama should help them address “global challenges, including in the fields of security and economy.” They also highlighted efforts to “unlock the unparalleled potential of the trans-Atlantic market” as a priority.
French President Francois Hollande congratulated Mr. Obama on his re-election as US president, saying voters had made the choice of “an open America” that believes in solidarity and multilateralism.
“It’s an important moment for the United States but also for the world,” Mr. Hollande said in a message to Mr. Obama.
“Your re-election is a clear choice in favour of an open America that shows solidarity and is fully committed to the international stage and aware of our planet’s challenges: peace, the economy and the environment,” he said.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt praised Mr. Obama’s “inclusive campaign” but noted that Mr. Obama faced major challenges since Congress was politically divided, and it remained to be seen how the President would be able to carry out his economic policy.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said he had “no complaints” about Mr. Obama, despite describing himself as a conservative, while Belgian Prime Minister Elio di Rupo said Americans had opted for “a more just and more tolerant America.”
“Your re—election is a clear choice in favor of an America that is open, unified, completely engaged in the international scene and conscious of the challenges facing our planet- peace, the economy and the environment.” French President Francois Hollande.
Other reactions
“When you were elected in 2008, you inspired the world with a call to take responsibility for the problems we face as global citizens. Since then, you have made earnest efforts to live up to that great hope and trust placed in you by the American public. I believe you have been re-elected now in recognition of that effort,” said the Dalai Lama.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: “The bond between Europe and North America, based upon the shared values on which our alliance was founded over 60 years ago, remains as strong, and as important to the preservation of Euro—Atlantic peace and security, as ever. President Obama has demonstrated outstanding leadership in maintaining this vital bond.”
“I will continue to work with President Obama to preserve the strategic interests of Israel’s citizens,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a strained relationship with the American president over Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“During the last four years when Obama was U.S. president, no breakthrough happened in relations between Iran and the US. At the beginning of his first term the situation was a bit better, but as he went on the relations got much worse, with the sanctions being imposed. So I think the outcome of the elections that was just held will not make any difference for Iran,” said Amir Karimi, a resident of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
“As a mother and as a grandmother who raises boy children, I think that the symbolism of having a black man occupy the highest office is something that can make my children very aspirational to know that this is possible, you know, in their lifetime” said Zindzi Mandela, daughter of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
