Moscow: Russia has officially recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan, becoming the first country to do so.
This decision was made after Moscow accepted the skills titles of a new Afghan ambassador.
Russia said Thursday that it wanted to strengthen links with Kabul, in particular in security, trade and the fight against terrorism.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Moscow had seen good prospects for developing links and would continue to support Kabul in security, counter-terrorism and fight against drug crime.
It has also experienced significant commercial and economic opportunities, in particular in energy, transport, agriculture and infrastructure.
“We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan will give an impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields,” said the ministry.
The Taliban qualified the “courageous” step and hopes that he will encourage other countries to follow.
The Afghan Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said in a statement: “We appreciate this courageous step taken by Russia, and God will also serve as an example for others.”
No other country has officially recognized the Taliban government which seized power in August 2021 while the forces led by the United States organized a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. However, China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan all have ambassadors designated in Kabul, in a stage towards recognition.
The Russian movement represents an important step for the Taliban administration as it seeks to alleviate its international isolation.
It is probably closely watched by Washington, which froze billions in the assets of the central bank of Afghanistan and the sanctions applied against certain senior Taliban leaders who contributed to the banking sector of Afghanistan which is largely cut off from the international financial system.
Complex history
Russia has gradually established relations with the Taliban, which President Vladimir Putin said that last year was now an ally in the fight against terrorism. Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil and wheat from Russia.
The Taliban was prohibited by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003, but the ban was lifted in April this year. Russia sees the need to work with Kabul because it faces a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a series of Afghanistan countries in the Middle East.
In March 2024, armed men killed 149 people in a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by the Islamic State. US officials said they had information indicating that it was the group’s Afghan branch, the Islamic State Khorasan (Isis-K), which was responsible.
The Taliban say that he strives to erase the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
Western diplomats say that the Taliban’s path towards broader international recognition is blocked until it changes the price of women’s rights. The Taliban closed high schools and universities to girls and women and imposed restrictions on their movement without male guard. He says he respects women’s rights in accordance with his strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Russia has a complex history and stained with blood in Afghanistan. Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979 to support a communist government, but bogged down in a long war against the Mujahidin fighters armed by the United States. Soviet chief Mikhail Gorbachev withdrew his army in 1989, when some 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed.
