The Republican, Donald Trump, will be the next president of the United States of America. In a long election night he managed to push the Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton, into second place.

Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Donald Trump on his victory. The election of a new American president is an event that is highly significant well beyond the borders of the USA, said Angela Merkel in a statement in Berlin. Germany’s relations with the USA are particularly close. "We do not have closer links to any other country outside the European Union than we have to the United States of America."

Whoever rules the United States - "an old and honourable democracy" in Angela Merkel’s words, a huge country that is economically and militarily strong, bears a responsibility that can be felt almost everywhere in the world. "Americans have decided that Donald Trump should be the one to bear this responsibility for the next four years."

Linked by shared values

The Chancellor stressed that Germany and America enjoy close relations as a result of their common values: democracy, liberty, respect of the law and of human dignity irrespective of background, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation and political beliefs. She offered the future president close cooperation on the basis of these values.

At the government press conference, federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert added that, because of their history since the Second World War, Germany and the USA are "closely linked by friendship and partnership" thanks to precisely these values. On this basis and within the framework of this tradition the Chancellor "naturally offers the future president, Donald Trump, close cooperation" he said.

Partnership with the USA is a cornerstone of Germany’s foreign policy

In her statement, Angela Merkel also stressed that the partnership with the USA will remain a cornerstone of Germany’s foreign policy. "So that we can successfully address the great challenges of our time: the quest for economic and social well-being, the effort to achieve forward-looking climate policy, the fight against terrorism, poverty, hunger and disease, the commitment to peace and liberty - in Germany, in Europe and in the world."

Federal Foreign Office spokesperson Martin Schäfer said at the press conference that, even under the new US administration, transatlantic relations are "close enough, firm enough and strong enough" to serve as the foundations for the common action of the West to address global crises. NATO is "part of this foundation of our transatlantic community of interests and values".