Many world leaders congratulated Joe Biden on his election as President of the United States, turning the page on Donald Trump, and calling for joint action to face global challenges:
European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulate Biden on his victory and stressed the European Union´s desire to rebuild a "strong partnership" with the United States.
"I warmly congratulate Mr. Biden on his victory (...) and I look forward to meeting him at the earliest opportunity," Von der Leyen said in a statement. Michel wrote in a tweet, "Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris." "The European Union is ready to commit to a strong transatlantic partnership. Covid-19, multilateralism, climate and international trade are challenges that must be faced together," he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a tweet, "The Americans have chosen their president. Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! We have a lot of work to do to meet the current challenges. Let´s work together!"
"Congratulations! (...) I wish with all my heart luck and success," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose relations with Washington were complicated during the Trump era. "Our trans-Atlantic friendship has no alternative if we want to overcome the current big challenges," she added, according to what her spokesperson wrote on Twitter.
For his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas confirmed that he looked forward to a "new start" in the transatlantic relationship.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on her "historic success". "The United States is our most prominent ally, and I am excited to collaborate closely on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and defense," Johnson wrote in a tweet.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin wrote in a tweet, "Joe Biden has been a true friend of this nation his entire life, and I look forward to working with him in the years to come."
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote in a tweet, "Joe Biden was a true friend of Greece and I am sure that under his presidency, relations between our two countries will be further strengthened."
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte wrote in a tweet, "We are ready to work with President-elect Joe Biden to strengthen transatlantic relations. The United States can count on Italy as a solid ally and strategic partner."
"We look forward to cooperating with you to take on the challenges that lie ahead," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote in a tweet.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Biden in a message carried by MTI agency on a "successful presidential campaign" and wished him "success and continued health."
In a contrasting position, the Slovenian Prime Minister Janis Jansa, who congratulated Trump on his re-election, saw that the ballot result had not been decided yet.
He wrote in a tweet, "Legal measures have been taken in all US states where the results are close and the courts have not made their decisions. Despite this, the media (not any official institution) announced the result. Congratulations come from everywhere, and this is a state of law."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Biden on his election victory, as a "strong supporter" of the alliance, and expressed his "enthusiasm to work" with him.
"I know Joe Biden, he is a strong supporter of our alliance, and I´m excited to work closely with him. A strong NATO is good for North America as well as for Europe," he wrote in a tweet.
The Kremlin has not yet commented on the US presidential election results.
But the Russian opposition Alexei Navalny wrote in a tweet that he congratulates Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Americans for "choosing a new approach in free and fair elections."
"It is a privilege not available in all countries," added Navalny, who was in Germany after suffering a poisoning attempt.
For his part, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev (89 years), said that he hoped Joe Biden would "normalize our relations and restore confidence between our two countries."
The leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tikkhanovskaya, congratulated Biden on his election, expressing her hope to meet him soon. "The whole world saw the elections in the United States, which is a functioning democracy," said Tikhanovskaya, who sought refuge in Lithuania.
Turkish Vice President Fuad Oktay said in an interview with Channel Seven, "From Turkey´s point of view, will anything change? No, this matter will not change anything," adding that "good communication" between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped the NATO allies to solve "Very serious" problems.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden, calling him "a great friend of Israel," and thanked Donald Trump for raising relations between Israel and the United States to "unparalleled heights."
"We congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris," Netanyahu wrote in a tweet on his Twitter account. "Joe has known each other for nearly forty years, our relationship is warm, and I know that you are a great friend of Israel," he added. "I hope I can go further with you both to further deepen the special alliance between the United States and Israel," he said.
In a second tweet, Netanyahu wrote, "Thank you Donald Trump for the friendship you have shown to Israel and me personally, for recognition of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, for your position on Iran, for these historic peace agreements, and for leading the US-Israeli alliance to unparalleled heights."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement, "he looks forward to working with President-elect Biden and his administration to strengthen Palestinian-American relations, and to achieve freedom, independence, justice and dignity for our people."
Trump, a staunch ally of Israel, adopted during his tenure very supportive policies of the Israeli state, which pushed the Palestinians to sever ties with Washington.
The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, called for "a historic correction of the course of the unjust US policies for our people," calling on the president-elect to "withdraw from the so-called deal of the century, cancel the decision to consider Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation, move the US embassy, ​​and end all decisions related to attempts to liquidate the refugee issue, especially Reducing support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in an attempt to end it. "
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Biden’s victory was an "opportunity" for Washington to compensate for the "mistakes" of the Donald Trump era, who adopted a policy of pressure and harsh economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
"The harmful and wrong policy of the US administration in the past three years was not only condemned by people all over the world, but also met with opposition from the population of this country (the United States) in the recent elections," Rouhani said in a statement posted on the Iranian presidency´s website.
Iraqi President Barham Salih tweeted "congratulations" to Biden, who "knew him as a reliable friend and partner during the process of building a new Iraq." "We look forward to working together to achieve the common goals and interests of our two peoples, and to enhance the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East," he added.
For his part, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi congratulated Biden and Harris, stressing that he looks forward to "strengthening the strategic ties between our two countries towards a future based on mutual respect and the values ​​of joint and close cooperation in order to overcome challenges, support peace and security, and achieve stability and prosperity."
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi congratulated Biden on his election, stressing his aspiration "for cooperation and joint action in order to strengthen the strategic bilateral relations between Egypt and the United States in the interest of the two friendly countries and peoples."
The Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II, in a tweet, congratulated the elected president and his deputy. And he wrote in a tweet, "We look forward to working with you to develop the historic and close partnership between Jordan and the United States, to serve our common goals towards peace, stability and prosperity."
The GCC countries congratulated Biden upon announcing his victory.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan wrote in a tweet, "My sincere congratulations to Joe Biden," stressing that "the UAE and America have historic ties of friendship and a strong strategic alliance, and we will continue to strengthen them during the next stage."
The Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wrote in a tweet, "Our relations for five decades are solid and strategic with the United States (...) and we wish this relationship further progress and solidarity with the new elected president."
In Qatar, the Emir of the country, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said that he was looking forward to "closer cooperation" with Washington, while the rulers of Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain sent telegrams of congratulations to the elected president.
Saudi Arabia has yet to offer congratulations.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun congratulated Biden on his election, expressing his "hope that, during his term, balance in Lebanese-American relations will return to the benefit of the friendly Lebanese and American peoples."
"Afghanistan looks forward to continuing and deepening its multi-dimensional strategic partnership with the United States - the founding partner - including combating terrorism and bringing peace to Afghanistan," Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wrote on Twitter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Biden and described his deputy, Kamala Harris, the daughter of an Indian woman, as a source of "great pride."
"I congratulate you on your wonderful victory," Moody wrote, heading to Biden. In a separate tweet by Harris, he said, "Your success is groundbreaking, and a source of immense pride not only for your family, but also for all Americans of Indian descent."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he "looks forward to working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, their administration and Congress in the United States to tackle the world´s biggest challenges together."
"The Australian-US alliance is deep and enduring, and rests on shared values. I look forward to working closely with you on the many challenges in the world," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote on Twitter.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wrote in a tweet, "With so many problems facing the international community, we agree with your message of unity. New Zealand looks forward to working with you!"
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Saturday it was too early to congratulate Joe Biden. "We will wait until all the legal issues are resolved. We do not want to be rushed," he said.
"We do not wish to act lightly and we want to respect the right of self-determination for peoples and the rights of others," he added, while outgoing President Donald Trump did not acknowledge his defeat and announced his intention to challenge the elections in court.
The Mexican president said, "There is no dispute between us and any of the candidates. It is a humanitarian issue and we must be polite and political caution before taking a position on what happened."
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared that he is "always ready for dialogue" with the United States. "I congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their victory. Venezuela (...) will always be ready for dialogue and good understanding with the people and government of the United States," the socialist leader wrote in a tweet.
Caracas cut diplomatic relations with Washington in 2019 after the Trump administration, along with about 60 other countries, recognized Maduro´s opponent, Juan Guaidó, as interim president of Venezuela.
In his statement, Guaidó congratulated Biden on his election victory. "We will work together to ensure the return of democracy, freedom and human rights to the people of Venezuela," he said.
"Our warm congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (...) I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the Japanese-American alliance and ensure peace, freedom and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga wrote on Twitter.
