Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Budapest on Thursday that the results of the US presidential election should be respected and cooperation with the future US administration should be developed.

“We must respect the result of the US election and establish cooperation with the future administration,” Plenkovic said in Budapest, where a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) is taking place. Transatlantic relations following the election of Donald Trump as the 47th US president are one of the main topics on the summit’s agenda.

Plenkovic briefly commented on the government crisis in Germany after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a junior partner in the ruling coalition, paving the way for early parliamentary elections.

“Germany is a strong democracy and a strong economy. They will find a way to resolve this situation,” said the Croatian Prime Minister.

Scholz had not travelled to Budapest due to the developments in his country.

European leaders, including most members of the European Union and the NATO Secretary General, who arrived in Budapest on Thursday, expressed their willingness to cooperate with US President-elect Donald Trump and the new US administration. They emphasised that Europe should take its share of responsibility for its own destiny and preserve its unity.