Trump victory: Prime minister and minister-president respond

“I would like to express the wish that you will be a uniting president who will be open to respectful dialogue,” said Michel in a statement. “I hope that Belgium and the United States can continue to defend the same values of liberty and tolerance.”

Michel also made reference to the statements in which Trump called into question the US contribution to Nato: “I hope you will continue to support the European project and guarantee security by means of Nato,” he said.

Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois offered his congratulations to both the future American president and vice-president, wishing them “a strong term of office”. The US is, he continued, “a political and military superpower and the largest economy in the world. We share the its respect for fundamental democratic values and free trade principles. The foreign policy priorities of the Trump administration are yet to be defined, but I hope that the Nato alliance will remain strong.”

He went on to stress the important of transatlantic trade. “The United States is Flanders’ biggest trading partner outside of Europe,” he said. “The US has also been the biggest foreign investor in Flanders for many years. I trust that, under the leadership of President Trump, the United States and Flanders will continue to pursue close ties.”

Photo: Yin Bogu/BELGA