Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Office of the President

President Hamid Karzai on November 07 met in the Palace in Kabul with Canada’s Defense Minister Peter MacKay. Minister MacKay offered condolences to the President and the Afghan people on the deadly Baghlan blast and said Canada would continue to stand by the people of Afghanistan as long as necessary.

Both sides discussed Afghanistan's security situation and the continued efforts in bolstering the Afghan armed forces.

Topics of discussion also included Canada’s involvement in the war against terror and in the reconstruction as well as significant improvement in security in Kandahar as a result of Canadian military presence.

President Karzai thanked Canada for its continued support to Afghanistan and said, “Security is one of the top priorities of the government. We will continue to seriously fight those who want to turn Afghanistan into a haven for terrorism.”