La Paz - Bolivian President Evo Morales saluted Wednesday the "historic" triumph of Barack Obama, who was elected to become the first African-American president in US history.

"Mr. Obama's triumph is really historic. We congratulate him on that triumph and we await the improvement in our (bilateral) relations in the future," Morales said as he arrived at the presidential palace in La Paz for a ministerial meeting.

Morales himself achieved a historic electoral feat when he was elected to become the first president of indigenous descent in Bolivia's history in 2006.

He underlined Obama's origins, noting that African Americans - like Bolivian indigenous people - "were discriminated against."

Morales asked the US president-elect to lift the embargo on Cuba and withdraw troops from foreign countries. (dpa)