Moscow: Russia has officially recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan, becoming the first country to do so.
The measure occurred after Moscow accepted the credentials of a new Afghan ambassador.
Russia said Thursday that he wants to strengthen ties with Kabul, especially in security, commerce and fight against terrorism.
In a statement, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Moscow saw good prospects to develop ties and continue to support Kabul in security, anti -terrorism and combat drug crimes.
He also saw important commercial and economic opportunities, especially in energy, transport, agriculture and infrastructure.
“We believe that the act of official recognition of the Government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will impulse the development of a productive bilateral cooperation among our countries in several fields,” said the ministry.
The Taliban called the “brave” step and hopes that they will encourage other countries to follow.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a statement: “We value this brave step taken by Russia and, if God wants, it will also serve as an example for others.”
No other country has formally recognized the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 when 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 have designated Kabul ambassadors, in a step towards recognition.
The Russian movement represents an important milestone for the Taliban administration, since it seeks to relieve its international isolation.
It is likely that Washington is closely monitored, which has frozen billions in the assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and applied the sanctions to some higher leaders in the Taliban who contributed to the bank of Afghanistan to separate largely from the international financial system.
Complex history
Russia has been building gradually with the Taliban, that President Vladimir Putin said that last year he was now an ally in the fight against terrorism. Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil and wheat of Russia.
The Taliban were prohibited by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003, but the prohibition rose in April of this year. Russia sees the need to work with Kabul, since it faces a great threat of security of Islamist militants based in a series of countries from Afghanistan to 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. American officials said they had intelligence that indicated that it was the Afghan branch of the group, the Islamic state Khorasan (ISIS-K), which was responsible.
Taliban say they are working to eliminate the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
Western diplomats say that the path of the Talibanes towards a broader international recognition is blocked until the course of women’s rights changes. The Taliban have closed secondary schools and universities to girls and women and have put restrictions on their movement without a male tutor. He says he respects the rights of women in line with his strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Russia has a complex and blood stained history in Afghanistan. The Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979 to prop up a communist government, but bogged in a long war against Mujahide in Mujahideen armed by the United States. The Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev took his army in 1989, at which time about 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed.
