*UPDATES WITH ADDITIONAL REACTIONS
ANKARA (AA) – Arab states, Iran and Israel on Wednesday reacted to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise electoral victory, with most sending messages of congratulations and voicing a desire to maintain good ties with Washington.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi was the first Arab leader to congratulate Trump, saying he looked forward to "improved relations between Egypt and the U.S."
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah likewise congratulated the U.S. president-elect, wishing him success while praising the "special" relationship between the two countries, according to Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency.
Qatari Emir Sheikh bin Hamad Al Thani and United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan also both congratulated Trump, voicing hope for stepped-up bilateral relations with Washington, according to both countries’ official news agencies.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, for his part, also congratulated Trump on his victory, expressing hope that the latter’s election would contribute to greater security and stability in the Middle East, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, meanwhile, also congratulated Trump, noting that the president of the U.S. played "a vital role" in shaping U.S. foreign policy.
In a statement, Ennahda voiced hope that the new administration’s policies would contribute to "ensuring peace in the Arab world and supporting the Arab people’s aspirations for freedom, democracy and development".
And in a statement carried by Palestine’s official WAFA news agency, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh declared that the Palestinian leadership would "deal with any president elected by the American people" with a view to "achieving permanent peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution" to the Arab-Israeli dispute.
Abu Rudeineh went on to stress that Washington "must recognize that regional stability can only be achieved through a just solution to the Palestinian cause".
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, for its part, which since 2007 has governed the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, urged Trump to reevaluate Washington’s longstanding policies vis-à-vis the Palestinian national cause.
"The suffering of the Palestinian people has continued due to the pro-Israel bias of previous U.S. administrations," the group said in a statement.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi also congratulated Trump on his electoral win.
"We look forward to a new stage of cooperation [with the U.S.] and support for the Yemeni people," he was quoted as saying by Yemen’s official SABA news agency.
"Fresh prospects for peace have emerged in the interest of the entire world," Hadi added.
Also congratulating the U.S. president-elect, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI called for stepped-up coordination between the two countries, especially in the field of counter-terrorism and investment, Morocco’s official news agency reported.
The king also stressed his desire to see the implementation of the "strategic partnership" between Washington and Rabat.
-Iran, Israel
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, for his part, described Trump’s electoral victory as a domestic U.S. affair.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Bucharest with his Romanian counterpart, Zarif urged Trump to comply with the terms of last year’s watershed nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
"Anyone can be the president of America," Zarif was quoted as saying. "The important thing is to understand correctly the reality in our region and the world and to take appropriate, realistic steps."
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying that Trump’s assumption of the U.S. presidency would "not affect Iran's policies".
Citing Trump's earlier criticisms of the nuclear agreement, Rouhani stressed that last year’s deal was supported by a UN Security Council resolution and could not therefore be unilaterally terminated "by the sole decision of one government".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said in a statement: "The ironclad bond between the U.S. and Israel is rooted in shared values, buttressed by shared interests and driven by a shared destiny."
"I am confident that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries and bring it to ever greater heights," Netanyahu added.
Trump, the Republican nominee, won the U.S. presidency on Wednesday, beating Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.