U.S. President Barack Obama has congratulated Belgium's prime minister on his election as the European Union's new president.
Herman van Rompuy was elected permanent president of the European Council by the 27-nation bloc's leaders at a meeting on Thursday evening, while Britain's Baroness Catherine Ashton was elected high representative for foreign affairs.
The White House quoted Obama as saying the new appointments "will strengthen the EU and enable it to be an even stronger partner to the United States".
"The United States has no stronger partner than Europe in advancing security and prosperity around the world," the statement said.
The two relatively low-profile candidates were unanimously elected by the EU leaders after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown abandoned his campaign to have ex-premier Tony Blair elected as EU president.
The president will have the role of a figurehead, without executive powers. Under the Lisbon Treaty on EU reform, the president will "take on the work currently assigned to rotating Presidencies" and "facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European Council."
Van Rompuy will take office on January 1, for a term of two-and-a-half years.
MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti)
