Russia becomes the first country to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan Taliban News

The Supreme Court raised the “terrorist” name of the group in April, as Moscow seeks to normalize in an attempt for regional influence.

Russia has accepted the credentials of a new ambassador for Afghanistan as part of a continuous campaign to build friendly relations with the country’s Taliban authorities, which seized power with the withdrawal of the United States forces from the country four years ago.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday: “We believe that the act of the official recognition of the government of the Emirati Emirati government in Afghanistan will give record strength to develop bilateral production cooperation between our countries in various fields.”

This step makes Russia the first country in the world to recognize the Taliban government in the country.

“This courageous decision will be an example of others,” Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motti said in a video clip on Thursday meeting with Dmitry Cernov, the Russian ambassador to Kabul, published on X.

“Now that the recognition process began, Russia was ahead of everyone.”

Washington is likely to see this step closely, which freezes billions of central banks in Afghanistan and sanctions imposed on some of the leading leaders in the Taliban, which contributed to the launch of the banking sector in Afghanistan to a large extent from the international financial system.

The group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, when the international forces supporting the internationally recognized government withdrew.

Moscow, which described the United States as “failure”, has taken steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities since then, and saw it as a possible economic partner and an ally in combating terrorism.

The Taliban delegation attended the leading economic forum for Russia in Saint Petersburg in 2022 and 2024, and was the best diplomat in the group, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last October.

In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Taliban as “the allies in the fight against terrorism”-especially against the Islamic province of Khwasan, ISKP (ISIS-K), a group responsible for deadly attacks in Afghanistan and Russia.

In April, the Russian Supreme Court was lifted Appointment of “terrorist” For the group.

Lavrov said in that month that “the new authorities in Kabul are real,” Moscow urges the adoption of “a pragmatic, not ideological policy” towards the Taliban.

Competition for influence

Moscow’s position towards the Taliban has turned dramatically over the past two decades.

The group was formed in 1994 during the Afghan civil war, largely by former Mujahideen fighters who support the United States who fought the Soviet Union during the 1980s.

The Afghan Soviet war resulted in a harsh defeat for Moscow, which may have rushed to the demise of the Soviet Union.

Russia put the Taliban on its “terrorist” black list in 2003 due to its support for the separatists in the North Caucasus.

But the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 forced Russia and other countries in the region to change tuk while competing to influence.

Russia was the first country to open the office of the business representative in Kabul after the Taliban acquisition, and it has announced plans to use Afghanistan as a transit center for gas heading to Southeast Asia.

The Afghan government is not officially recognized by any universal body, and the United Nations refers to the administration as the “Real Taliban authorities”.