On Friday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced that a decision to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations had been made “at the highest level,” according to the state news agency TASS.
Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s special representative on Afghanistan, emphasized that this decision must undergo several legal procedures to be enacted.
In July, Putin had referred to the Taliban as an ally in combating terrorism, marking a gradual shift in Russia’s approach since the group took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. forces after two decades of conflict. Despite this, the Taliban remains officially designated as a terrorist organization in Russia.
No nation has yet formally recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, though China and the UAE have accepted Taliban representatives. Russia designated the Taliban as a terrorist organization in 2003, and its removal from this list would signal a significant step towards normalizing relations between Moscow and Kabul.
During a speech in Moscow, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, welcomed recent decisions by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to remove the Taliban from their own lists of banned groups, expressing hope for further positive developments.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated the importance of maintaining “pragmatic dialogue” with the Afghan government, stressing that it is essential to involve Kabul in discussions regarding the country’s future. He indicated that Russia would pursue stronger political, trade, and economic ties with Afghanistan.
Lavrov praised the current Afghan leadership for their efforts to reduce drug production and combat the Islamic State, which is banned in Russia. He suggested that regional cooperation is necessary to address the threat posed by the Islamic State, which has established training centers outside Afghanistan.
Additionally, Lavrov urged the United States to return confiscated Afghan assets and called on the West to take responsibility for the reconstruction of the war-torn nation. He also advocated for increased humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, pledging that Russia would continue to provide food and essential goods.
Historically, Russia’s involvement in Afghanistan has been fraught with challenges, beginning with the Soviet invasion in 1979, which aimed to support a pro-Moscow government but ended in withdrawal after a decade of conflict. In recent years, Russia and its neighboring countries have faced ongoing threats from Islamist militant groups linked to Afghanistan, including a deadly attack in March that resulted in 145 fatalities near Moscow, claimed by the Islamic State.
