Russia Becomes First Major Power to Recognize Taliban Govt

News Desk

Moscow: In a significant diplomatic development, Russia has officially recognized the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, becoming the first major global power to do so since the group’s return to power in 2021.

The recognition follows an April decision by the Russian Supreme Court to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations — a designation in place since 2003. The Taliban, which took control of Kabul after the US and NATO troop withdrawal in August 2021, has since rebranded Afghanistan as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Formal diplomatic ties were cemented on Thursday when Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko accepted the credentials of Ghulam Hassan, the Taliban’s newly appointed ambassador to Moscow. Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, confirmed the move.

For the first time since the Taliban’s return to power, the group’s black-and-white flag was hoisted over the Afghan embassy in Moscow — a visible symbol of the growing relationship.

According to Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Kabul, President Vladimir Putin made the decision to recognize the Taliban government based on a recommendation from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Zhirnov noted that Russia was also the first country to recognize Afghanistan’s independence over a century ago, reflecting Moscow’s long-standing engagement with the Afghan people.

While most Western governments continue to withhold recognition, several regional countries have begun re-engaging with the Taliban administration.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan recently delisted the Taliban as a terrorist group, Turkmenistan has resumed cooperation through the TAPI gas pipeline project, and Uzbekistan signed multiple agreements with Kabul last August.

Suhail Shaheen, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Qatar, welcomed Russia’s decision, describing it as a “chance for joint cooperation” and urging other nations to follow suit.