By Michael Sercan Daventry, Hajer M'tiri, and Ayhan Simsek
LONDON / PARIS / BERLIN
Across Europe Wednesday morning, European politicians and political leaders responded to the surprise presidential election victory of Donald Trump.
British Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Trump in a statement, adding: “Britain and the United States have an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.
“We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defense.
“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: Trump win 'opens period of uncertainty'
French President Francois Hollande said his country will continue to work with the new American administration but with “vigilance and frankness,” saying Trump’s win “opens a period of uncertainty.”
Congratulating Trump at a news conference, Hollande called for a “united Europe” to defend the values of “freedom, dignity, social cohesion, and the fight against poverty" in the wake of Trump’s win.
At a news conference, former French President and 2017 presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy congratulated Trump, adding: “We need an America true to its tradition of freedom and democracy, and playing a full role in world affairs."
Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe, the favorite to be the rightist candidate in next year’s French presidential polls, said he respects Americans’ "sovereign decision," but added, "To the French I want to underline the risks that demagogy and extremist bring to democracy and the vital nature of the choices that they have to make."
Merkel stresses shared democratic values
German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Trump, and expressed her willingness to enhance relations based on liberal and democratic values.
"Germany and the U.S. are bound together by values: Democracy, freedom, respecting the rule of law and people's dignity regardless of their origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political opinion," Merkel told a news conference in Berlin, not mentioning frequent charges that Trump’s campaign had been racist, sexist, and xenophobic.
"On the basis of these values, I would like to offer the future president of the U.S., Donald Trump, close cooperation,” she added.
But German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen voiced concern over the direction of U.S. foreign policy under a Trump administration.
“Many questions still remain open,” she told public television ARD, adding that during his campaign Trump lacked a clear foreign policy, and had no extensive talks with European allies.
Von der Leyen said European states want to learn Trump’s position on NATO and relations with Russia, adding that she wants it to “continue to bear its responsibilities”.
She attributed his “shock” election to the frustration of many Americans with Washington and “the protest of people who feel excluded and demand change”.
In a tweet, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy congratulated Trump and added: “We will continue to work to reinforce the relationship that unites us with the United States, an indispensable partner".
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the U.S. presidency.
Aliyev said in a congratulatory address on the presidency's official website that Azerbaijan-U.S. relations have 25-year history and that he hopes the relations will continue to improve.
NATO, EU affirm partnership with U.S.
U.S. leadership is as important as ever in a challenging new security environment, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a message on Trump’s victory.
“Our Alliance has brought together America’s closest friends in times of peace and of conflict for almost 70 years. A strong NATO is good for the United States, and good for Europe,” said Stoltenberg in a statement.
Stoltenberg did not address Trump’s campaign statements casting doubt on U.S. participation in the bloc, but said he looked forward “to welcoming him to Brussels for the NATO Summit next year to discuss the way forward”.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz criticized the “vitriol and polarization” that characterized the election campaign but said the result was unequivocal.
He said in a written statement: “Mr. Trump has managed to become the standard-bearer of the angst and fears of millions of Americans. Those concerns must now be addressed with credible policies and proposals.”
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, wrote a letter to Trump congratulating him on his victory and urging him to strengthen transatlantic relations.
“Only by cooperating closely can the EU and the U.S. continue to make a difference when dealing with unprecedented challenges such as Daesh, the threats to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, climate change and migration.”
In a letter, EU President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker congratulated Trump, adding, “The strategic partnership between the European Union and the United States is rooted in our shared values of freedom, human rights, democracy and a belief in the market economy."
Far-right and market response
Right-wing and far-right European politicians were among the first to react to Trump’s election.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain’s right-wing UKIP, said he was “not particularly surprised because the political class is reviled across much of the West, the polling industry is bankrupt and the press just hasn't woken up to what's going on in the world.”
Farage, who campaigned for Trump, told ITV News: “So 2016 is, by the looks of it, going to be the year of two great political revolutions. I thought Brexit was big but, boy, this looks like it's going to be even bigger”.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen congratulated Trump by tweeting: "Congratulations to the new president of the United States Donald Trump and to the free American people”.
European financial markets fell sharply at opening Wednesday morning, but appeared to recover ground as trading continued. The euro and Britain’s pound sterling both gained ground against the U.S. dollar in overnight exchanges.
Scandinavian reaction
Speaking to TV4 after Trump’s victory, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said, “There have been a few political matters where we have different opinions, in which he has manifested a more introverted U.S., less trade relations… But we have always said that the U.S. is an important country for Sweden, so we’ll aim to have as good relations as possible with the U.S., no matter who’s president.”
While Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen congratulated Trump on winning an “unusually hard and confrontational” election,” on Tuesday – before the election results – Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen told financial daily Borsen that Trump’s trade policy would affect local firms, as the U.S. is Denmark’s third-largest export partner.
“I think it’ll have negative consequences because the uncertainty will be so great that a lot of companies will think twice when it comes to investments… I think many will speculate about what it'll mean for free trade, investments and so on.”
Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg congratulated Trump at a news conference Wednesday, adding, “The U.S. is our closest ally and our cooperation is based on shared values and interests. We will seek to cooperate constructively with Donald Trump and his administration once it’s in place.”
*Alyssa McMurtry and Elin Joensson contributed to this report from Madrid and Stockholm.
