Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has congratulated United States president-elect Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris on their recent electoral victory.
AFP reported that several TV networks projected Biden's victory over Donald Trump on Saturday after the Democratic nominee claimed several key battleground states won by the Republican incumbent in 2016. The decision was called after Biden was projected to win the decisive state of Pennsylvania.
In a series of tweets posted on his official Twitter account on Sunday, Jokowi conveyed his best wishes to the pair, expressing hopes for improved relations with the new US administration.
"My warmest congratulations [to] Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on your historic election. The huge turnout is a reflection of the hope placed on democracy," Jokowi tweeted alongside a photo of him shaking hands with Biden.
My warmest congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on your historic election. The huge turn out is a reflection of the hope placed on democracy. pic.twitter.com/Neai7coU6j – Joko Widodo (@jokowi) November 8, 2020
The President went on to say that he was looking forward to working with Biden to strengthen the strategic partnership with the US on economy and democracy for the betterment of the two nations.
Biden promised on Saturday to unite Americans and seek to heal divisions after what he called a "convincing" victory over Trump.
"This is the time to heal in America. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify," Biden said as quoted by AFP.
Muhammad Lutfi, Indonesia's newly appointed envoy to the US, previously said the two countries would stand as equals and as "new old friends" who shared values and norms, as the Southeast Asian nation resisted last-minute US lobbying on China ahead of the US presidential election.
Speaking days ahead of the high-profile US election, Lutfi said US-Indonesian ties were rejuvenated by two key recent events, namely the visits of Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to the US and the extension of Indonesia's General System of Preferences (GSP) status.