Taliban Cannot Join Regional Economy Without Russia’s Support, Says Moscow’s Envoy

The annual index, which assesses public sector corruption worldwide, ranks Denmark, Finland, and Singapore as the least corrupt nations, securing the top three positions with the highest scores.

Transparency International stated that corruption levels worldwide remain alarmingly high, with efforts to combat the issue largely failing.

In 2024, Afghanistan scored 17, placing it at rank 165—a three-place decline from the previous year, once again positioning the country among the most corrupt nations globally.

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2024 was released on Tuesday, with South Sudan ranking at the bottom of the list, scoring just 8 points.

The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). In 2023, Afghanistan had a score of 20, ranking 162nd. In 2022, the country scored 24, placing 150th.

Among Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, the rankings for 2024 are as follows. Pakistan ranks 140th, with a score of 27. Iran ranks 147th, with a score of 25.

The continued decline in Afghanistan’s ranking reflects ongoing governance challenges and lack of anti-corruption measures, raising concerns about transparency and accountability under the Taliban administration.

The Vienna Process will bring together dozens of political groups, politicians, and civil society activists to discuss Afghanistan’s future.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Vienna Process announced that participants will focus on Afghanistan’s post-Taliban future and explore political alternatives.

According to the statement, more than 50 major political groups and a number of prominent Afghan figures are expected to attend the conference.

The fourth Vienna Conference took place on 24 June 2024. Organisers have stated that the upcoming session will prioritise political unity among political, civil, and military groups.

Since the fall of the previous Afghan government, the Vienna Process has emerged as the most significant platform for bringing together political and military groups opposed to the Taliban.

The statement further emphasised that the fifth conference will be held in an open political space, allowing participants to transparently discuss viable solutions to overcome the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.

Addressing the possibility of formally recognising the Taliban, he emphasised that Moscow will not act hastily.

On 28 December 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree amending certain laws, allowing for the temporary suspension of a group’s terrorist designation through a Supreme Court decision.

Rudenko told Interfax news agency that this mechanism applies to the Taliban, but reiterated that the process will take time.

The Russian Supreme Court designated the Taliban as a terrorist organisation on 14 February 2003, effectively banning its activities in the country.

While Russia, like other nations, does not officially recognise the Taliban government, it has nevertheless handed control of Afghanistan’s embassy in Moscow to the group and continues to maintain diplomatic and economic relations with them.

Currently, Jamal Nasir Gharwal serves as the Taliban’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow, having been officially approved by Russia’s Foreign Ministry in April 2022.

In his Monday interview with Interfax, Rudenko clarified that upgrading the Taliban’s diplomatic representation in Moscow to ambassadorial level is not a possibility in the near future.

Meanwhile, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, previously announced that Moscow plans to establish a Russia-Taliban Joint Working Group in Spring 2025.

Kabulov explained that, as the Taliban has not yet been formally recognised, the new working group will replace the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, serving as an interim mechanism for bilateral engagements.

According to one of the leaked letters, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry requested $1 million from the Afghan Consulate in Zahedan, Iran.

A series of internal communications, published by a hacker group and reviewed by Afghanistan International, highlight significant financial exchanges between the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry and its overseas diplomatic missions.

One letter, dated 15 January 2025, just five days before Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. President, shows that the Taliban Foreign Ministry formally requested $1 million from the Afghan Consulate in Zahedan.

Another document indicates that the Taliban’s embassy in Tehran transferred 7 million Afghanis to the Taliban Foreign Ministry’s account at Afghanistan’s central bank. However, the timeframe for collecting this sum remains unclear.

The leaked records further highlight the substantial monthly revenues generated by the Afghan embassy in Islamabad. Between June and September 2023, the embassy earned over $700,000, a figure excluding its operational expenses.

Additionally, a letter from the Afghan Consulate in Quetta states that during the second quarter of 2023, the office generated approximately $130,000 in revenue.

While these documents do not provide a complete financial picture of Taliban-controlled diplomatic missions, they underscore their importance as revenue sources for the regime.

The Taliban has sought control over more Afghan diplomatic missions abroad, not only to gain political leverage but also to increase its foreign currency reserves.

A significant portion of the revenue from Taliban-run embassies and consulates in Iran and Pakistan comes from:” visa issuance, passport renewals and egal document verification.

With at least 6 million Afghan migrants in Iran and over 3 million in Pakistan, the Afghan embassies in these countries are among the most profitable.

Additionally, Afghanistan’s trade relations with Iran and Pakistan surpass those with any other regional country, further boosting the Taliban’s diplomatic revenues.

Speaking at a meeting in Kabul, Hanafi stated that regional tensions are not in the interest of neighbouring countries and emphasised that the Taliban supports peaceful diplomacy.

“If they interfere in our internal affairs, we also have the right to defend ourselves,” he declared, stressing that mutual respect and good relations are beneficial for all regional nations.

While Hanafi did not explicitly name any country, his remarks come amid growing tensions between the Taliban government and Pakistan.

Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of harbouring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, a claim the Taliban has consistently denied.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Pakistani officials are considering military operations inside Afghanistan, following earlier warnings that they would take direct action if cross-border attacks persisted. The deteriorating relationship between the two sides has heightened regional security concerns.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan has experienced a significant surge in security incidents.

According to the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, the country recorded 521 terrorist attacks in 2024, marking a 70% increase from the previous year. These attacks have resulted in at least 2,000 casualties, further escalating tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.