German Chancellor Angela Merkel on
Saturday
"
congratulated
" Joe Biden, elected President of the United States, and insisted on the "
irreplaceable
"
transatlantic relationship
.
“
Congratulations!
(...) I wish him luck and success with all my heart
, ”said the leader who had delicate relations with Donald Trump.
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“
Our transatlantic friendship is irreplaceable if we are to overcome the great challenges of our time,
” she also said, quoted in a tweet from the government spokesperson.
The conservative leader, who before Joe Biden has already worked with three US presidents, also congratulated the vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, stressing that she was "
the first vice-president elected of her country
".
“
I look forward to future cooperation with President Biden,
” Merkel said.
Read also: US Presidential: Joe Biden, the man who beat Donald Trump
Germany, which traditionally maintains a close relationship with the United States, has suffered for four years recurring and sometimes vehement criticism from Donald Trump, in particular on its contribution to the NATO budget and on the German trade surplus.
For his part, the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he wanted "
a new start
" in the transatlantic relationship.
"
We want to invest in our cooperation (with the new American president, editor's note), for a new start in the transatlantic relationship, a + new deal +
", tweeted the head of diplomacy while Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz was delighted to the opening of "
a new chapter in the transatlantic relationship
".
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Qualifying this election as "
historic
", Olaf Scholz who is also Minister of Finance put forward the "
common ideals
" of Germany and the United States, such as "
democracy, the rule of law and human dignity.
".
He insisted on the need to meet the challenges together, particularly around the fight against global warming, while Joe Biden pledged that the United States would reinstate the Paris agreement.