World leaders welcome Obama's re-election World leaders reacted positively to the re-election of President Barack Obama on Wednesday, amid relief in many governments that the US would not be adopting a more adversarial approach towards the Middle East, Russia and China. As news of his re-election was broadcast around the world, many leaders were quick to offer the congratulations that are a diplomatic ritual after a US presidential election. But behind the scenes in many governments - especially in Europe - there will be relief that Mr Obama has prevailed over Mr Romney, who had spoken of adopting policies on Iran, Syria, China and Russia that were far more confrontational. In Britain, Washington's closest ally, David Cameron sent his congratulations. I think he's a very successful US president and I look forward to working with him in the future, Mr Cameron said. He added: "There are so many things that we need to do: we need to kick start the world economy and I want to see an EU-US trade deal." Mr Cameron said that "one of the first things I want to talk to Barack about" is how to solve the crisis in Syria. In Russia, there were early expressions of relief, amid concern that the election of Mr Romney would have plunged Washington and Moscow into a much frostier relationship. The head of the Russian lower house of parliament's foreign affairs committee said Mr Obama's re-election was good news for the world and avoided handing the White House to a clear enemy of Russia. "This is better for the outside world," Alexei Pushkov said on his Twitter account. Obama's victory over Republican Mr Romney "means that there won't be a political twin of George Bush and an open enemy of Russia in the White House," he said. President Vladimir Putin welcomed Mr Obama's re-election, and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by RIA news agency in an interview with a Russian newspaper as saying: "We will continue to work with this administration. We are ready, on the basis of mutual equality, mutual profit and mutual respect ... to go as far as the US administration is willing to go. In Beijing, official Chinese media, which had in recent weeks criticised the China-bashing by both candidates during the campaign, reported Mr Obama's victory largely with straight news stories on the exit polls and Mr Obama's speech, while President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao sent congratulatory messages. Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, a nationalist tabloid owned by People's Daily, the Communist party's mouthpiece, used his Weibo to convey his "best wishes" to Mr Obama and the US. He added the view that China's rapid rise and American recession and decline posed a huge risk in international politics, and that "China and the US should pursue a win-win situation." In Egypt, President Mohamed Morsi, who became president this year, has had uneasy relations with Mr Obama in his first months in office - especially following the Egyptian government's failure to crack down on Islamist demonstrations against the US recently. However, presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said: "We congratulate the American people on their choice and we hope the newly elected US administration will work to achieve the interests of both the American and Egyptian people." He said Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist who is Egypt's first freely-elected president, would send a letter to Obama to congratulate him later on Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who may well test Mr Obama over Iran policy next year, congratulated the re-elected President, saying the strategic alliance between their two countries was "stronger than ever." "I will continue to work with President Obama to ensure the interests that are vital for the security of Israel's citizens," Mr Netanyahu said in a short written statement. A Pakistani foreign ministry official described US president Barack Obama's victory as "very reassuring for the [Afpak] region." In recent days, Pakistani officials warned that Mitt Romney's election as US president might have upset plans for the US to begin drawing down troops from Afghanistan by 2014. A foreign ministry official said: "Any move to speed up the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan could be hugely dangerous. Such a withdrawal will only make the Taliban feel very empowered. But on the streets of Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, the news was broadly received with indifference. "With or without an Obama presidency, US policies in our region will remain the same" said Sameer Khan, a school teacher. "The US will continue using drones to target our innocent people" he said, echoing a broader public disapproval of the use of pilot-less drones operated by the CIA for the targeting of suspected militant sanctuaries in Pakistan's lawless border region. Politicians across the rest of Asia including Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia sent out congratulatory statements. Aside from some debate over China and Afghanistan, the region did not feature significantly in the presidential race. Seiji Maehara, Japan's minister for fiscal end economic policy said: "I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to President Obama and to his supporters." The campaign of Ahn Cheol-soo, a South Korean presidential candidate, said: "We firmly believe that President Obama's second term will bring greater prosperity to the United States and help to enhance world peace." Commenting on the US presidential election result, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said: "It is my hope that President Obama will continue in his efforts to foster understanding and respect between the United States and Muslims around the world." Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra - who will be one of the first foreign leaders Mr Obama will meet after his re-election - congratulated Mr Obama but said she was "not surprised" by his re-election. "It's very exciting," she told the FT, adding: "We can continue with all the things we have discussed bilaterally." Thailand will probably be the first country Mr Obama will visit in his second term, on a south-east Asian sweep that will also include Myanmar en route to the November 20 East Asia summit with Asean leaders in Cambodia. Further congratulations were sent from Nato and the European Council. From Belgium, Elio Di Rupo, the socialist prime minister said: "[Obama's] re-election is an encouraging sign for the future of the US and the entire world. Americans opted for a fairer and more tolerant America. Additional reporting by Mure Dickie, Simon Mundy, Gwen Robinson, David Pilling, Zhao Tianqi, James Fontanella, Neil Buckley and Peter Spiegel