World leaders congratulate President Joe Biden, urge US cooperation
SINGAPORE — Joe Biden has received messages of support from world leaders on his inauguration as the 46th US President on Wednesday (20 January).
Among them were America’s allies in Europe who had been shunned by his predecessor Donald Trump, and its long-time partners in Asia.
On his first day in office, Biden reversed a number of measures made by the previous administration and tackled issues ignored by Trump, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration, to climate change. He has pledged to rejoin the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organisation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet, “The United States is back. And Europe stands ready. To reconnect with an old and trusted partner, to breathe new life into our cherished alliance.”
Several European leaders alluded to the recent storming of the Capitol building by Trump’s supporters in their bid to reverse Biden’s electoral victory.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “Despite the attempts to tear at America’s institutional fabric, election workers and governors, the judiciary and Congress, have proven strong. I am greatly relieved that, today, Joe Biden is being sworn in as president and will be moving into the White House. I know many people in Germany share this feeling."
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted, “Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!"
Asian leaders have pledged to work with the Biden administration in tackling issues ranging from the pandemic to global trade.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga tweeted, "I look forward to working with you and your team to reinforce our alliance and to realise a Free and Open Indo-Pacific."
In a letter to Biden, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote, “Strong American leadership will make a decisive difference to our collective recovery and the shape of the post-COVID-19 world...I look forward to working with you to strengthen America’s engagement of Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).”
Several countries who have had longstanding stormy relations with the US expressed willingness to cooperate with the Biden administration.
On extending the New START arms control treaty, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters, "Russia and its president are in favour of preserving this agreement... If our American colleagues will in fact demonstrate a political will to preserve this pact by extending it, this can only be welcomed."
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh tweeted, “The world knows that only the US can fix itself - in practice; not just words."
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