After Moscow decided to remove the Taliban administration from its list of banned entities, Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan since the group took power in 2021.
The Russian Foreign Ministry affirmed that it had approved the credentials of Gul Hassan Hassan, the recently nominated Ambassador of Afghanistan.
According to the ministry, “productive bilateral cooperation” would be promoted by this formal recognition.
The development was praised as a “historic step” by Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry.
According to reports, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi praised the ruling as “a good example for other countries.”
The Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Since then, the group has sought international recognition while imposing its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
The Taliban government has held high-level discussions with numerous countries and developed some diplomatic ties with states like China and the United Arab Emirates, despite the fact that no nation has officially recognised it as of yet.
However, due in large part to its restrictions on women, the Taliban regime has been somewhat isolated on the international scene.
Soon after taking power in 2021, the Taliban began imposing restrictions on women and girls, despite their early promises of more moderate governance than their first term, which lasted from 1996 to 2001.
Girls are prohibited from attending school past the sixth grade, and women are prohibited from the majority of occupations and public areas, such as parks, swimming pools, and gyms.
Russian officials have recently been emphasising the need to engage with the Taliban to help stabilise Afghanistan, and lifted a ban on the Taliban in April.
Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, said in remarks broadcast by state Channel One television that the decision to officially recognize the Taliban government was made by President Vladimir Putin on advice from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Zhirnov said the decision proves Russia’s “sincere striving for the development of full-fledged relations with Afghanistan.”
