Leaders from across the globe have conveyed congratulatory messages to new U.S. President Barack Obama.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that Obama’s inauguration marks a significant moment for the U.S. and expressed hope that the U.S. will cooperate further with its allies under the Obama presidency.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he plans to work closely with Obama to "change the world."

Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso vowed to seek a stronger alliance with the United States under Obama to boost "peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world."

Meanwhile, China pledged cooperation with the new U.S. government while urging Washington to stop exporting weapons to Taiwan. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, called on Washington to "cautiously and properly handle the Taiwan issue and support the peaceful development of cross-strait relations with concrete actions."

In Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hopes Washington and Moscow will settle contentious issues, including missile defense and the expediency of NATO expansion. Lavrov said such issues must be resolved based on pragmatism, without the ideological assessment held by the outgoing administration.