Russia recognizes Afghan Taliban government

Kabul: Russia became the first country to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Russia accepted the credentials of Afghanistan’s new ambassador.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry posted on its X account that the country’s Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Dmitry Zhirnov met in Kabul. In this meeting, the Russian ambassador officially conveyed the official decision of the Russian government, under which the Russian Federation has recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry, the Russian ambassador highlighted the importance of this decision, calling it a historic step in strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Russia.

The Afghan Foreign Minister welcomed the decision of the Russian Federation and called it a new stage in positive relations, mutual respect and constructive cooperation between the two countries.
Amir Khan Muttaqi said that this realistic decision of the Russian Federation will be remembered as a significant development in the history of relations between the two countries. The Foreign Minister added that with this initiative, bilateral cooperation between the two countries will further expand.
It should be noted that the Afghan Taliban government, which came to power in August 2021 after the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government, has not been officially recognized by the United Nations and the international community, as they have imposed restrictions on the basic rights of their citizens, including banning women from participating in education and employment.
However, China and Russia, which had expressed a willingness to develop limited diplomatic relations with the interim Afghan administration, have invited Afghan ministers to participate in China and Central Asia forums in the past two years.
Meanwhile, in April this year, Russia removed the Afghan Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations after nearly 20 years, which observers described as of great importance for global politics.