World leaders, both friends and foes, hailed President Biden on his inauguration on Wednesday, with some hoping to repair frayed relations with the US and others praising him for taking action on the coronavirus pandemic and rejoining the Paris climate accord.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Biden for immediately signing an executive order to reenter the Paris agreement, reversing President Trump’s decision in 2017 to withdraw from the global pact.
With Biden, ”we will be stronger to face the challenges of our time. Stronger to build our future. Stronger to protect our planet,” Macron said. “Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!”
European Council President Charles Michel noted how relations with the US became strained over the past four years and expressed careful optimism for an era of new cooperation.
“We have our differences and they will not magically disappear. America seems to have changed, and how it’s perceived in Europe and the rest of the world has also changed,” said Michel.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was more upbeat in her assessment.
“Once again, after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House. This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been waiting for so long. Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner,” she said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is expected to be the first world leader to speak over the phone with Biden on Friday, said he would work with the new administration “to make our countries safer, more prosperous, and more resilient.”
But he also criticized Biden for signing an executive order revoking the Keystone XL oil pipeline’s permit.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, which has been ravaged by the pandemic, said: “America’s leadership is vital on the issues that matter to us all, from climate change to COVID, and I look forward to working with President Biden.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he looks forward to strengthening the US-Israel alliance, “expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world and to confront common challenges, chief among them the threat posed by Iran.”
In a separate statement, Netanyahu said he was grateful to Trump “for all the great things you have done for Israel.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who criticized Trump for his Middle East policies, urged “a comprehensive and just peace process that fulfills the aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom and independence.”
America’s rivals also weighed in on the change in administrations, with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani proclaiming that a “tyrant’s era came to an end.”
He went on to say that the “ball is in Washington’s court” as it pertains to the Biden administration rejoining the Iran nuclear deal.
And China, which has seen its already tense relationship with the US become even icier during the last several years over trade, espionage and human rights violations, looked ahead.
“I think after this very difficult and extraordinary time, both the Chinese and American people deserve a better future,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
With Post Wires
The post World leaders express hope for President Biden’s administration appeared first on New York Post.
