Mexico City - Mexican President Felipe Calderon congratulated Senator Barack Obama for his triumph in the US presidential election and said he hopes for "a new stage" in relations between the two neighbours.

An official statement that was made public late Tuesday, said Calderon also invited the next US president to visit Mexico "soon" and reiterated his country's commitment "to strengthen and deepen bilateral relations and work in the construction of a better future for the region."

The statement further expressed the hope that US-Mexican relations would enter "a new stage of progress based on co-responsibility, frank and respectful dialogue and mutual trust." (dpa)