France's Hollande congratulates Merkel on election win

French President Francois Hollande congratulated Chancellor Angela Merkel on her victory in Sunday's German election, inviting her to talks in Paris once her new government is formed, the French presidency said in a statement.

Hollande and Merkel had a conversation in which they expressed their wish to "pursue their close cooperation in order to take up the new challenges of Europe's construction", the statement said.