Obama reassures Nato on Trump commitment to cooperation

Outgoing United States president Barack Obama has rushed to reassure Europe and the world that Donald Trump remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance.

During the Republican's successful election campaign, Trump had repeatedly spouted claims of an isolationist nature, vowing to rip up trade deals in order to "make America great again".

Speaking in the White House ahead of his final foreign tour as president, Obama said Trump had told him last week that he would maintain the US as a key player in Nato.

"There is enormous continuity beneath the day-to-day news that makes us that indispensable nation when it comes to maintaining order and promoting prosperity around the world," Obama said.

"That will continue. In my conversation with the president-elect he expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships and so, one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to Nato and the transatlantic alliance."

Foreign leaders and markets are waiting to see which policies will be implemented by Trump when he moves into the Oval Office in January next year. Obama will visit Greece, Germany and Peru over the next week for meetings with world leaders.

"I think that's one of the most important functions I can serve at this stage during this trip is to let them know that there is no weakening of resolve when it comes to America's commitment to maintaining a strong and robust Nato relationship and a recognition that those alliances aren't just good for Europe, they're good for the United States, and they're vital for the world."

Trump will be the first US president to never have held elected office or served in the military, and Obama also added that he will learn quickly that he has a lot of bridge-building to do after a bitterly divisive campaign.

"I did say to him that because of the nature of the campaigns and the bitterness and ferocity of the campaigns that it's really important to try to send some signals of unity and to reach out to minority groups or women or others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign," he said.