Denmark's Foreign Minister Says Nation Won't Recognize Any Taliban Government - Sputnik International

Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod has stated that no Taliban government will be recognized by Denmark, marking the first such statement from a Western country involved in the recently completed 20-year, US-led intervention in Afghanistan.

    As the Taliban reportedly were to announce the new government on Friday after Muslim prayers, Kofod told the Danish DR broadcaster that Denmark "does not recognize any Taliban government."

The news outlet quoted Jeppe Kofod as saying that the country's officials are concerned about "ensuring that the progress we have made through two decades of efforts in Afghanistan can be sustained," as per translation.

    The most pressing concern, according to the foreign minister, is that everyone on the country's evacuation list is able to depart Afghanistan "in good order."

Commenting on media speculation about the government announcement, a spokesperson for the Taliban, Bilal Karimi, told Sputnik that the date when the new Afghan government will be presented is not yet known, and that the delay is due to technical problems.

Karimi promised that the composition of the government will be announced in the near future, noting that consultations on the formation of the government were completed.