John Kerry
John KerryReuters

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday he had instructed State Department officials to fully cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration, Reuters reports.

Speaking in Christchurch, New Zealand, Kerry said State Department staff must not lose sight of the important issues facing the United States.

"One of the beautiful things of democracy - and we particularly pride ourselves in the United States - is that we have this amazing peaceful transfer of power," the Secretary of State told reporters.

"And we will do everything in our power, as I have instructed our team, to work with the incoming administration as fully and openly as possible, to be as helpful as possible, so that the transfer of power will be as smooth as it possibly can without missing a beat on the important issues before us," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Barack Obama spoke of Trump’s victory and promised to help his successor in the transition into his new role.

"I spoke with president-elect Trump and congratulated him and invited him to the White House,” said Obama.

“It is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,” he added. “Everybody is sad when their side loses an election, but the day after, we have to remember that we’re actually all on one team. We’re not Democrats first, we’re not Republicans first, we are Americans first. We’re patriots first.”

Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton, congratulated Trump and also urged unity, calling on her supporters to keep an open mind with regards to Trump.