A flag is pictured in front of the Russian Embassy in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
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June 12 (Reuters) – It was “unacceptable” that a Canadian official attended the Russia Day celebrations at the country’s embassy in Canada, Secretary of State Melanie Joly said on Sunday.
A deputy chief of protocol for Canada’s Department of Global Affairs, Yasemin Heinbecker, attended Friday’s event along with officials from Egypt, Pakistan and some African nations, the Globe and Mail newspaper said in a report.
“No Canadian representative should have attended the event at the Russian Embassy, and no Canadian representative will attend such an event again,” Joly said in a Twitter post.
Joly also reiterated Canada’s support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, which Moscow describes as a “special military operation.”
Since the conflict began on February 24, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,000 individuals and entities with ties to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
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Reporting by Nishit Jogi in Bengaluru; Adaptation by Clarence Fernandez
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.