September 21, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the national government in Afghanistan:
“Canada welcomes the agreement between Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to form a Government of National Unity.
“This peaceful agreement will bring additional stability and prosperity to Afghanistan by ensuring that all Afghan citizens will be represented by the new government, and by the historic transfer of power from one president to the next.
“We congratulate the Afghan people for their continued commitment to the democratic process as they patiently awaited this announcement. Canada recognizes that a vast majority of Afghans have chosen a path toward economic development, free of corruption and are determined to act in Afghanistan’s national interests.
“Afghanistan’s new leadership, including Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, will need to move quickly to address the range of economic and security challenges it faces in order to restore business and investor confidence.
“Canada looks forward to working with the new government to help it meet these challenges.”
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