Photo: Zamir Kabulov ( left) talks with members of the Taliban delegation
A senior Russian diplomat said that the Russian ministries of foreign affairs and justice presented Vladimir Putin with “considerations that” the Taliban ruling in Afghanistan “may be excluded” from the Russian list of terrorist organizations.
On Monday, May 27, Zamir Kabulov, director of the second Asian department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told the Russian state news agency TASS that removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations “will allow Moscow to decide whether to recognize the government of Afghanistan,” Voice of America reports. .
"Without this [lifting the ban on the Taliban], it will be premature to talk about recognition, he clarified. – Therefore, work on this issue continues. All considerations have been reported to the top leadership of Russia. We are waiting for a decision.”.
In a separate publication, TASS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Monday that the Taliban are a “real force” in Afghanistan and that the group's possible removal from Moscow's list of banned organizations reflects “objective reality.”
Russia officially designated the Taliban a terrorist organization in 2003, when the radical group fought against the United States and its allied forces in Afghanistan .
Taliban insurgents returned to power on August 15, 2021 and created an all-male Taliban government after US-led foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
No country has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, largely due to their human rights issues as well as their terrorist activities.
However, several neighboring countries, as well as others , including Russia, maintained their embassies in Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power and effectively allowed the Taliban government to operate Afghan embassies in their territories.
Kabulov noted that since seizing power, the Taliban “have come a long way towards recognition.”
“However, there are still several obstacles to be overcome, after which the Russian leadership will make a decision,” – he said, without going into details.
Also in the Russian media, this Russian diplomat is quoted as saying that his government has sent an invitation to the Taliban to take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5-8.
The event, which was once attended by leading Western businessmen and managers, as well as investment bankers from London and New York, has changed significantly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, Moscow and international The community had previously called on the Taliban to govern the war-torn country through a politically inclusive government and to lift restrictions on Afghan women's access to education and work.
In response, Afghanistan's current rulers have harshly rejected criticism of their rule as “interfering in the country's internal affairs , saying their policies are in line with local culture and Islamic law.”
Russia has been developing ties with the Taliban for years and is reportedly supplying them with weapons while they continue to carry out attacks on international forces under the leadership of the United States and its allies. Taliban representatives claim that trade ties between Kabul and Moscow have expanded greatly over the past couple of years.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga