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Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki met with the Russian Ambassador on Thursday.
Russia became the first country to formally recognize Taliban rule, and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki called it a “brave” decision.
He met Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zirnov in Kabul on Thursday, where Zirnov officially informed his government’s decision to recognize Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirates.
Muttaqi said it was a “new stage of positive relationships, mutual respect and constructive engagement” and that the shift would serve as a “model” for other countries.
The Taliban has been seeking international recognition and investment since returning to power in August 2021 despite reports of an increase in human rights violations.
“We believe that the official act of recognition of the U.S. Islamic Emirates in Afghanistan will induce impulses in the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia said it would continue to help Kabul fight the threat of terrorism and drug trafficking, considering the possibility of “commercial and economic” cooperation in “energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure.”
Reuters
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Russia is one of the few countries that did not close its embassy in Afghanistan in 2021, and said that “expanding dialogue with Kabul” on Telegram is important in terms of regional security and economic development.
The country was also the first to sign an international economic contract with the Taliban in 2022, where they agreed to supply oil, gas and wheat to Afghanistan.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Taliban was removed from the list of terrorist groups this April from the list of terrorist groups this year, and was intended to begin establishing a “full partnership” with Kabul.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban “an alliance” when fighting terrorism last July, and in 2018, representatives travelled to Moscow for consultations.
Both countries have a complicated history after the Soviet Union invaded the country in 1979 and fought nine years of war that cost 15,000 staff.
The decision to establish a Soviet-backed government in Kabul transformed the Soviet Union into an international pariah, eventually retreating from Afghanistan in February 1989.
Western governments and humanitarian organisations have broadly condemned the Taliban government for implementing Sharia, which especially places great restrictions on women and girls.
For the past four years, women have been barred from access to secondary and higher education, and are unable to leave the house without a man’s chaperone and are subject to strict dress codes.
The law is increasingly restricted, and the establishment of the latest “virtue” laws prohibit women from speaking outside the home.
The UN says the rules correspond to “gender apartheid” and report public whipping and brutal attacks on former government officials.
In 2021, the UN Security Council, particularly the freeze on assets of about $9 billion, put strict sanctions in Afghanistan.
China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan all designate ambassadors for Kabul, but Russia is now the only country to recognize the Taliban government since it returned to power almost four years ago.
