TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2021) Ottawa is taking its time assessing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Canada's Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said, albeit, not explicitly ruling out recognition of a government led by the terror group (banned in Russia).
"It's early days. Right now, we want to see what happens," Garneau said on Monday, when asked during an interview with state broadcaster CBC whether Ottawa would recognize a Taliban-led government, noting it is "too early" to answer such questions.
"We have to see how [the Taliban] behave," Garneau added when pressed to clarify his position, saying that the terror group's behavior was unacceptable during its first rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
Garneau's statement echoes the position taken by the US State Department.
Washington is "taking stock" of the Taliban's shock takeover of Afghanistan in a matter of 72 hours, State Department spokesperson Ned price told reporters earlier in the day, when asked about the possibility of the United States recognizing a Taliban government.
On Sunday, the Taliban completed their takeover of Afghanistan by entering Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani resigned and left the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed that would occur if militants had to fight for the city. Most countries have reduced or evacuated their diplomatic missions in the Central Asian country following the events.
