The American people have voted. I warmly congratulate the winner, Donald Trump. With this election, an unprecedented campaign has come to a close, one that deeply divided the American people. The newly-elected president will have the challenging task of bridging this divide. The conciliatory tone that Donald Trump struck in his speech this morning points in the right direction. Obviously, Donald Trump’s campaign addressed issues that struck a chord in a large part of the American population. This must be acknowledged. I wish him success and God’s blessing as he sets out to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

The transatlantic partnership is and will remain a cornerstone of Germany’s foreign policy. I am certain that President Trump, as well, will rapidly recognise the importance of the transatlantic partnership, and that he will use it as a very important instrument of US foreign policy. This especially includes close cooperation in our North Atlantic Alliance. We will extend our hand to the new US administration, and we hope we will continue to cooperate as closely and with as much trust as we have in recent years.

The need for us Europeans, and for Germany in particular, to assume greater responsibility and contribute even more with regard to all instruments of foreign and security policy will further increase during the Trump Presidency. Global developments will continue to provide the issues that will shape our cooperation in the coming months. This includes stabilising the situation in Syria and Iraq, implementing the Minsk agreement in Ukraine, and conducting relations with Russia.