European Commission leaders on Wednesday welcomed the election of Barack Obama as the next U.S. president, urging him to bring change to transatlantic ties so as to meet global challenges together.
"This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement.
"I want to assure Senator Obama of the support of the European Commission and of my personal support in forging this renewed commitment to face together the many challenges ahead of us."
"We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world," Barroso added.
In a statement Barroso read to reporters at the Commission headquarters in Brussels, he described the U.S. election as a "turning point for the world."
He expressed hope that under the leadership of Obama, the United States "will join forces with Europe" to forge a new deal and "drive this new deal" for "the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana hailed Obama's "impressive election victory," saying, "elections are about political renewal."
The sense of renewal "also applies to transatlantic relations, "said Solana, adding that "Europeans and Americans are keen to open a new chapter in their relations."
"President-elect Obama ran on a ticket of change. This is most welcome since many things in the world today need changing. Let us do that together," said Solana.
He said Europe and the United States together need to address "a high number of very complex global problems: from the Middle-East to Iran and Afghanistan and Pakistan, from climate change to nonproliferation... with determination and creativity".
Solana lauded Obama as personifying today's complex and globalized world "where change is a constant."
"As we grapple with these problems, it is good to have someone who put change, empathy and good judgement at the heart of his campaign," he said. "I am looking forward to working with President Obama and his administration."
The EU's French presidency called for "an America fully engaged in dialogue and cooperation," in its statement.
"Because the world aspires to peace and stability, the European Union sees in this election the promise of a reinforced transatlantic partnership" to enable the two sides to face together the challenges of the 21st century.
The EU "is ready to work closely with Mr Barack Obama and his administration and to make concrete proposals at the appropriate time, in a spirit of mutual trust and dialogue," the statement said.
The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, said in his congratulatory message that Obama's victory "has proved once again the extraordinarily capacity for renewal which has so often been evident at difficult moments in American history."
He welcomed the opportunity for a fresh start to EU-U.S. relations, "putting them on a stronger and more vibrant footing" and said he looks forward to "working together in effective partnership on many of the global issues facing decision-makers in our both continents, for example climate change."
Source:Xinhua
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