‘Not considering to recognise Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate govt’: Japan
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said that any decision on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan will be made based on national interests and in cooperation with other nations, including the US.
As Afghanistan experiences complete mayhem in the wake of the Islamist extremist group Taliban regaining control over the country nearly two decades later, Japan has become the latest country to reportedly state that it is “not considering to recognise” the group as the “legitimate government” of the nation.
According to a report by Sputnik, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato on Friday, while addressing a press briefing, said that the necessary decision to recognise the Taliban will be made on the basis of national interests and in cooperation with other countries, including the United States (US).
"The situation now is too uncertain, so that any forecasts would be untimely," he added at the briefing.
Notably, Japan has already evacuated its staff and other citizens from its embassy in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul after the extremist group took over the city on Sunday.
Meanwhile, more than 60 nations that include the US, UK, Germany, Canada and Japan too, have urged “all parties” to protect the departure of foreign citizens and Afghan nationals who wish to leave the war-gripped Afghanistan. These countries also insisted on keeping airports, road stretches and border crossings open.
Japan’s stand on the new Taliban regime comes soon after Canada made a unanimous decision to not accept the group as the government of Afghanistan. “Canada has no plans to recognise the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan,” Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau said.
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This stand was taken by other party leaders of Canada as well namely the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party. Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole tweeted, “I was asked by a caller if I would recognise the legitimacy of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Let me be clear: never.”
Trudeau also noted that the Taliban are a “recognised terrorist organisation under Canadian law” and had replaced the “duly elected, democratic government by force.”
However, China has said that the Taliban today is “more clear-headed and rational” as opposed to what it was when in power the last time.
Also Read| China can play a very big role in rebuilding Afghanistan: Taliban
“When dealing with a problem, we should not only depend on what has happened in the past, but also on what is happening now. This is done not only by listening to what is said, but also by watching what is done,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
She added that although the Afghan situation is not fully clear, China believes that Taliban “will not repeat history.”
Taliban, on the other hand, has consistently assured that Afghan citizens under its rule should not feel scared and that women’s rights will be safeguarded as per the ‘Islamic law.’
(With inputs from ANI)