Will Not Rest Until Justice & Freedom For Afghan Women Achieved, Says Canadian FM

He explained that removing the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist groups requires changes in the country's laws.

In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Rudenko said, "This process is not fast, because it requires changes in Russian laws."

At the same time, he added, "Russia, like some other countries, is ready to expand cooperation with the Taliban."

According to him, this cooperation is not possible without removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups.

In the interview, the text of which was published on Thursday, Rudenko said, "The Taliban movement is in power in Afghanistan and it is an objective reality that must be taken into account."

Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special representative for Afghanistan affairs, announced in June 2024 that the proposal to remove the Taliban's name from the list of terrorist organisations in Russia has been communicated to Vladimir Putin for a final decision. Zamir Kabulov said that there are still issues about the Taliban and a decision will be made after they are resolved.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters during a visit to Tashkent on May 29, 2024, that how to establish relations with the Taliban is a different question, but we must have a relationship with them somehow.

Putin referred to consultations with regional partners, including in Central Asia, on relations with the Taliban, saying, "We take into account the views of each of our partners and friends and will coordinate on this issue."

Andrey Rudenko said that the Taliban is also expected to be invited to the meeting. The previous meeting of the Moscow format was held on September 29, 2023, in Kazan.

The exact date of the sixth Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan has not yet been announced.

However, according to RIA Novosti, quoting Andrey Rudenko, the meeting will be held in Moscow in October.

Russian Ambassador to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov visited the Taliban's Foreign Ministry in September and met with Amir Khan Muttaqi and invited representatives of the group to participate in the upcoming Moscow Format meeting.

In addition to Russia, representatives of India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Taliban were present.

None of these countries recognise the Taliban, but they do have diplomatic relations with the group.

The meeting discussed "systematic discrimination and human rights violations by the Taliban" in Afghanistan.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the first day of the UN General Assembly session.

Adela Raz, a former Afghan ambassador to Washington, who attended the meeting, told Afghanistan International that the purpose of the meeting was to review the situation of women in Afghanistan and how the international community supports their rights, especially women working in the business and health sectors.

The joint statement of the EU and UN Women's mission stated that the rights of Afghan women have been significantly reduced, with devastating effects on their access to education, employment and public life.

One of the goals of the meeting was to draw the attention of the international community to the crisis of women's rights in Afghanistan.

"As the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, this event provides a platform for meaningful dialogue on the international community's efforts to protect and advance their rights," said a joint statement by the EU and UN Women mission ahead of the meeting.

The European Union and UN Women have emphasised that the views of Afghan women should be taken into account in decision-making forums on Afghanistan.

Both organisations also emphasised continued support for Afghan women and girls.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday stressed at a special session focusing on Afghan women that he will never allow the Taliban's restrictive laws to become the norm.

The UN Secretary-General said that women and girls face a deep crisis of repression and gender discrimination in Afghanistan. Referring to the Law on the Promotion of Virtue, he said that with this new law, the Taliban have formalised the exclusion of women from the public sphere.

According to these changes, the Taliban's governor in Ghor has been appointed as the commander of the 205th Corps, and the district governor of this group in Gereshk, Helmand, has been appointed as the governor of Ghor.

A Taliban spokesman said on Wednesday that Ahmad Shah Dindoost, the governor of Ghor, has been appointed as the commander of the Badr Corps and Hayatullah Mubarak, the former district governor of Gereshk, Helmand, has been appointed as the governor of Ghor.

Nisar Ahmad Nusrat, the Taliban's governor in Kunduz, has been introduced as the deputy minister of rural rehabilitation and development, and Mohammad Khan Dawat, the former commander of the 205th Al-Badr Corps, has been introduced as the Taliban's governor in Kunduz.

Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, deputy director of the Taliban's railway department, has been appointed as deputy minister of public health, and Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada, deputy minister of public health, has been appointed as deputy director of the railway administration.

Abdul Salam Hussaini, the Taliban's former police chief in Helmand's Musa Qala district, has been appointed as the Kapisa police chief.
Noor Aqa Haider, the former head of security at the Taliban's police chief in Badghis, has been appointed as the police chief of Ghor.

Hafizullah Pahlawan, the Taliban's former police chief in Jawzjan, has been appointed as the head of Badghis police headquarters.

Azizullah Mustafa, the Taliban's former education chief in Nangarhar, has been appointed as the deputy governor of Kapisa province.

Mohammad Usman has now started working as the group's human resources chief at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Rahmatul Haq Fazil, the Taliban's former deputy foreign minister, has been elected as a member of the group's central Darul Ifta.

The Taliban did not provide details about the reason for the change in the duties of these officials.

The financial package is dedicated to the provision of basic services, including health, education and food security, and focuses on protecting the rights of women and girls.

The European Commission on Wednesday announced that the financial package focuses on the rights of women, girls, children and vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons and migrants.

This financial support was pledged on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
"The EU stands firmly in support of the people of Afghanistan. "The more the Taliban government restricts the freedoms of women and girls, the greater the need for our presence."

The European Commission's statement said that the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, has also signed three other programmes to support livelihoods and access to health services for the people of Afghanistan.

These include €15 million to the United Nations Development Programme, €16 million to the World Health Organisation and €15 million to the United Nations Population Fund.

Since 2021, the European Union has allocated at least €900 million to meet basic needs and livelihoods in Afghanistan.

In June this year, the commission also announced that it had allocated 150 million euros in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.