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Cyprus congratulates Biden on victory confirmation

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Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades congratulated Joe Biden after the US Congress ratified his November election victory following violent protests in Washington.

In a post on his Twitter account, Anastasiades wrote: “Congratulations to my dear friend Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States.

“I look forward to working closely with you to address global and regional challenges for the benefit of our peoples and the world at large.”

Nicosia and Washington have grown closer under the Donald Trump administration, but Biden has knowledge of the Cyprus problem and has visited the island before when he was US Vice President under Barack Obama.

Congress confirmed Democrat Joe Biden as the presidential election winner after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capital on Wednesday in a stunning attempt to overturn the election and keep Trump in the White House.

Lawmakers were resolved to complete the Electoral College tally in a display to the country, and the world, of the nation’s enduring commitment to uphold the will of the voters and the peaceful transfer of power.

They pushed through the night with tensions high and the nation’s capital on alert.

Trump, who had repeatedly refused to concede the election, said in a statement immediately after the vote that there will be a smooth transition of power on Inauguration Day.

“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20,” Trump said in a statement posted to Twitter by an aide.

Cyprus condemned the violence during the siege of Capitol Hill.

Government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos described the developments in the US capital as “unacceptable actions against democracy.”

“Watching with disbelief events unfolding in Washington DC. It is a fundamental axiom of Democracy that the will of the people, as freely expressed in an election, must be respected,” Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides tweeted.