Russian Govt To Remove Taliban From List Of Terrorist Organisations
Russia is set to remove Taliban from a list of banned terrorists organisations, three years after they returned to power in Afghanistan.
According to State-run IRA Novosti news agency, on Monday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said following the decision of Kazakhstan to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorists organisations, Russia is also going to remove them from the list.
Russia has for years fostered relations with the Taliban, holding multiple rounds of talks and boosting trade with Afghanistan despite international sanctions.
“Kazakhstan has recently taken the decision, which we are also going to take, to remove them from the list of terrorist organisations,” RIA Novosti quoted Foreign Minister Lavrov as saying.
By the end of 2023, Kazakhstan had taken the Taliban off its list of prohibited organisations.
Although the move would not amount to an official recognition of the Taliban administration and what it refers to as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” it might further strengthen diplomatic relations between Russia and Afghanistan.
In 2021, the Taliban overthrew a government that the US had supported. They have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law that essentially forbids women from engaging in public life.
According to Lavrov, Russia made its decision after taking into account the local circumstances, FirstPost News Reports.
“They are the real power. We are not indifferent to Afghanistan. And above all our allies in Central Asia are not indifferent,” Lavrov said.
According to official media, Russia extended an invitation to Taliban delegates to attend its premier Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Once upon a time, this occasion was regarded as the cornerstone of Russia’s trade ties with the West.
Russia has supported relations with the Taliban for a long time.
In 2018, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan asserted that Moscow was arming the group; Moscow refuted these claims at the time.
Russia has classified the Taliban as a terrorist organization since 2003.
Moscow itself has a convoluted history with Afghanistan; in the 1980s, it waged a ten-year war against guerilla mujahideen militants in order to support a government backed by the Kremlin.
