Following the decision of the Russian Supreme Court to suspend the designation of the name of the “Taliban” from the list of banned organizations, Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, announced that this move removes legal obstacles to developing formal relations with the Taliban.
Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said: “This decision is an important step for all state institutions of the Russian Federation. Now a major legal barrier to expanding political, economic, and other official cooperation with the Afghan government has been removed. We are not stopping here—further steps are on the way.”
He also announced plans for a major economic meeting between Russia and Afghanistan in mid-May, on the sidelines of the Kazan International Forum.
According to Kabulov, the Russian deputy prime minister will lead the Russian delegation at the event, and on the other side, a high-level delegation from the caretaker government will also be present.
Kabulov said: “In mid-May, a major meeting will be held between the trade delegations of Afghanistan and Russia in Kazan, which is expected to further strengthen economic relations between the two countries.”
In response, the United Nations stated that Russia’s move is an internal decision and does not change the status of the “Taliban” at the United Nations level.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said: “It’s a sovereign decision of the Russian Federation, the Taliban status within the UN as decided by Member States remains unchanged.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also clarified that this move does not alter Moscow’s commitment to UN Security Council sanctions against individuals and entities associated with the Taliban.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Taliban, said Russia’s decision is a significant step for the future of bilateral relations.
Mujahid stated: “We consider this step to be very important. In the future, Afghanistan and Russia will certainly build a good relationship in the spheres of economy and diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has a correct policy with regard to Afghanistan.”
Yesterday (Thursday) the Russian Supreme Court, at the request of the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office, removed the Islamic Emirate from the list of banned organizations after 22 years—a move considered a sign of Moscow’s shift in official stance toward the caretaker government.
