EU to Seek 'Close Partnership With Trump' Despite Concerns Raised in Campaign

The European Union is ready to cooperate with the new US administartion, regardless of Donald Trump's controvercial statements in the past, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) Wolfgang Ischinger told Sputnik on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – Europe’s ties with the United States are important regardless of who is in power in Washington, therefore it is interested in having a close relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump despite concerns raised by his words during his presidential campaign, Ischinger said.

"The relationship with the United States is a fundamentally important relationship for Germany and for the European Union regardless of who’s in the White House. So of course we are interested in having a close partnership with Mr. Trump even if he has said things during the election campaign which have created … concerns in Europe," Ischinger said.

Ischinger added he would invite US President-elect Donald Trump to the next conference to be held in 2017.

"Of course I will. I will invite [Trump] as I’m inviting [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin and as I’m inviting Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of the Russian Federation," Ischinger said.

The next Munich Security Conference will be held on February 17-19, 2017.