MEXICO CITY (AP) – Leaders around the world welcomed the arrival of US President Joe Biden and the end of Donald Trump’s often confrontational presidency, noting that the world’s most pressing issues including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, requiring multilateral cooperation, an approach that Trump ridiculed.
Many expressed hope on Wednesday that Biden would do justice to the world’s greatest democracy two weeks after watching rioters storm the Capitol and shaking the faith of those fighting for democracy in their own country.
Governments attacked and sanctioned under Trump embraced the chance of a fresh start with Biden, while some heads of state who praised Trump’s mix of nationalism and populism were more restrained in their expectations for Biden’s administration – and nostalgic in some cases. talked about the Trump years.
But an opportunity to mend frayed alliances and work together to tackle issues that stretched beyond the borders of any country went by.
Biden “understands the value and importance of multilateralism. He understands the importance of cooperation between nations, ”said former Colombian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos, who left office in 2018.
“In fact, if we don’t – all nations – work together to fight climate change, we’ll all die. It’s that simple, ”said Santos.
French President Emmanuel Macron also pointed to the urgency of addressing the dangers facing the world as a result of climate change after Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord, a move that Biden would reverse in the early hours of his presidency.
With Biden “we will be stronger to meet the challenges of our time. Stronger to build our future. Stronger to protect our planet, ”he wrote on Twitter. “Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!”
Elsewhere in Europe, close US allies finally saw an opportunity to come out of the cold after strained security and economic relations with the Trump administration.
“This new dawn in America is the moment we have been waiting for so long,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, who hailed Biden’s arrival as “decisive proof that Europe has a friend again after four long years. in the world. White House. “
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said that transatlantic relations “have suffered greatly over the past four years. In these years the world has become more complex, less stable and less predictable. ”
“We have our differences and they will not magically disappear. America seems to have changed, and how it is perceived in Europe and the rest of the world has also changed, ”added Michel, whose overt criticism of the Trump era contrasted with the silence that prevailed especially in Europe when the Republican the White House. House.
In Germany, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier explained a video statement calling Biden’s inauguration a “good day for democracy.”
“Despite efforts to tear up America’s institutional fabric, election officials and governors, the judiciary and Congress have proven strong,” he said.
Speaking with Biden and new Vice President Kamala Harris, Steinmeier said the US would once again be a “vital partner” to address issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, security issues such as arms control and disarmament, and multiple conflicts.
In Ballina, Ireland, where Biden’s great-great-grandfather was born in 1832, a mural of a smiling Biden adorned a wall in the town, where some of the president’s relatives still live.
“As he takes the oath of office, I know that President Biden will feel the weight of history – the presence of his Irish ancestors who left Mayo and Louth in times of famine in search of life and hope,” said Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
Pope Francis urged Biden to help promote reconciliation in the US and build a society “characterized by authentic justice and freedom” that looks especially to the poor.
The “serious crises” facing all of humanity require foresight, Francis said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had a close relationship with Trump, noted a “warm personal friendship” with Biden. “I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the alliance between the US and Israel … and to address common challenges, the most important of which is the threat from Iran,” Netanyahu said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has accused Trump of unfair bias towards Israel with policies such as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, expressed hopes for a more balanced approach to Biden. He called for “a comprehensive and just peace process that fulfills the aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom and independence”.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose country has had a tumultuous relationship with Washington after being criticized for helping the Afghan Taliban, said in a tweet that he looks forward to a stronger partnership through trade, economic engagement and countering climate change.
In Latin America, Biden faces immediate immigration challenges, and the leaders of the two most populous countries – Brazil and Mexico – were okay with Trump. The Trump administration also took a hardline against governments in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, extending painful sanctions.
In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro’s administration pushed for dialogue with the Biden administration, hoping the president-to-be would give up the avalanche of damaging sanctions Trump has imposed to attempt regime change.
However, some Venezuelans, such as retired accountant Jesús Sánchez, 79, said he was disappointed to see Trump leaving power. Trump backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó and gave Venezuelans like him hope that Maduro’s days in power were numbered.
Carlos Vecchio, Guaido’s envoy to Washington recognized by the US as Venezuela’s ambassador, tweeted photos of himself at Biden’s inauguration. The invitation to attend was touted by Venezuela’s opposition as evidence that the Biden administration will continue its strong support and oppose Maduro’s pleas for a dialogue that the US has so far firmly rejected.
Cuba’s leaders may have a more realistic hope for improved relationships: Biden was in the White House before the historic thaw in relationships in 2014, and several officials expressed their willingness to reopen a dialogue with Washington if there was respect for the relationship. sovereignty of Cuba.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel scolded Trump via Twitter, calling “more than 200 measures tightening the financial, commercial and economic blockade, the expression of despicable and inhumane policies.”
In Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who developed an unexpected friendly relationship with Trump and was one of the last world leaders to recognize Biden’s victory, read from a letter he sent to Biden in 2012, calling for the bilateral relationship to be refocus, away from security and military aid and for development.
He urged Biden to push through immigration reforms, adding, “We need to maintain a very good relationship with the US government and I have no doubt it will be so.”
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Cook reported from Brussels. AP Writers Nicole Winfield in Vatican City, Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Laurie Kellman and Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Alex Sanz in Atlanta, David Rising in Berlin, Joshua Goodman in Miami, Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Scott Smith in Caracas, Venezuela, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.