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05-07-2025
MOSCOW/ KABUL: Russia has become the first country to formally recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan, sparking outrage from opposition figures.
The decision marks a major milestone for the Taliban almost four years after they swept into Kabul and took power.
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said he hoped it would serve as an example to other countries, which have been reluctant to recognize a regime which implements a version of Sharia law along with severe restrictions on women and girls.
Others have decried the move, with former Afghan politician Fawzia Koofi saying “any move by any country to normalize relations with the Taliban will not bring peace it will legitimize impunity”.
Koofi went on to warn “such steps risk endangering not just the people of Afghanistan but global security”.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Women’s Political Participation Network said it legitimized “a regime that is authoritarian, anti-women and actively dismantling basic civil rights”.
The Taliban government has previously said it respects women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law but since 2021, girls over the age of 12 have been prevented from getting an education, and women from many jobs. There have also been restrictions on how far a woman can travel without a male chaperone, and decrees on them raising their voices in public.
Foreign Minister Muttaqi said Moscow’s recognition, which came on Thursday, was “a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect and constructive engagement”, describing the decision as “courageous”.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it saw the potential for “commercial and economic” co-operation in “energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure” and that it would continue to help Kabul to fight against the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
Russia was one of very few countries that did not close down their embassy in Afghanistan in 2021 as the Taliban swept across Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troop.
The country was also the first to sign an international economic deal with the Taliban in 2022, where they agreed to supply oil, gas and wheat to Afghanistan.
The Taliban was removed from Russia’s list of terrorist organizations in April this year. Russian President Vladimir Putin also referred to the Taliban as an “ally” in fighting terrorism in July last year. Taliban representatives had visited Moscow for talks as early as 2018.
However, the two countries have a complex history. The Soviet Union which included Russia, invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and fought a nine-year war that cost them 15,000 personnel.
Their decision to install a Soviet-backed government in Kabul turned the Soviets into an international pariah and eventually led to their withdrawal in February 1989.
In its statement, the Afghan Women’s Political Participation Network noted it had not forgotten “Russia’s role in the destruction of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion”.
“Today, its political interference and direct support for the Taliban represent a continuation of those same destructive strategies, now under the banner of diplomacy,” it said.
People familiar with American conversations with the Islamist group told media in April that the Taliban has proposed numerous steps toward US recognition including the creation of an embassy-like office within the US to handle Afghan issues.
“You need to be forthcoming and take a risk,” US officials told the Taliban during a March meeting to secure an American prisoner’s release, according to the person familiar with the proceedings. “Do this, it will likely open up the door for a better relationship.” (Int’l News Desk)
