Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban regime
On Thursday (3rd), Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi announced after meeting with Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, that Russia became the first country to recognize the Taliban regime. “This courageous decision will set an example for other countries… Russia is ahead of everyone.”
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 and implemented strict Islamic law. They have been actively seeking formal recognition and investment from the international community to help the country, which has been devastated by 40 years of war (including the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989), recover and rebuild.
Zia Ahmad Takal, a spokesman for the Taliban Foreign Ministry, told AFP: “Russia is the first country to formally recognize the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’.”
The Afghan Foreign Ministry posted on the X platform that Foreign Minister Muttaqi said this marked the beginning of “a new stage full of positive relations, mutual respect and constructive cooperation.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said on Telegram later that it officially recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and “will promote fruitful bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure.” Russia pointed out that Moscow will assist the Taliban in combating terrorism and drug trafficking, while strengthening cooperation in the economic field.
In recent years, Russia has gradually taken measures to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities. In April this year, Russia removed the Taliban from the list of “terrorist organizations” and received the ambassador appointed by the Taliban in Moscow.
In July 2024, Russian President Putin called the Taliban “an ally in the fight against terrorism.”
After the Taliban returned to power, Russia was the first country to set up a business representative office in Kabul and announced plans to use Afghanistan as a natural gas transit hub to Southeast Asia.
During the first period of the Taliban’s rule (1996 to 2001), only three countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, recognized it.
Since 2021, no country has officially recognized the Taliban regime before Russia, although several countries, including China and Pakistan, have accepted ambassadors sent by the Taliban.
Although contacts with the Taliban are still limited, interactions from regional neighbors and global powers such as China and Russia are increasing.
This Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference that China welcomes the new development in relations between Russia and the Afghan interim government. She said: “As a traditional friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China has always believed that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community.”
However, the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls, such as banning education and excluding them from public life, remain a major issue criticized by Western countries.
Several Afghan women’s rights activists have condemned Russia’s recognition of the Taliban regime.
Mariam Solaimankhil, a former Afghan MP, said the move “gives legitimacy to a regime that bans girls from education, publicly flogging people and shelters UN-sanctioned terrorists.”
She also said: “This decision shows that in international relations, strategic interests always take precedence over human rights and international law.”
Several senior Taliban figures remain under international sanctions, including from the United Nations.
Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan MP, said that recognizing the Taliban regime “will not bring peace, but will only legitimize impunity” and “could endanger not only the Afghan people but also global security.”
