Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, announced that the suspension of the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organisation eliminates legal barriers to establishing formal relations between Moscow and the Taliban.
He stated that this move would facilitate enhanced political and economic cooperation between the two sides.
Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency on Thursday, Kabulov confirmed that joint efforts are underway to normalise bilateral ties comprehensively.
Alexey Overchuk, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, also commented to TASS that the suspension opens opportunities for expanding trade relations, boosting Russian exports, and bringing the Pakistani and Indian markets closer to Russia.
On Wednesday, 17 April, the Supreme Court of Russia approved a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office to suspend the Taliban’s classification as a terrorist group. Judge Oleg Nefedov stated that the court’s decision to lift the ban on the Taliban’s activities takes immediate effect.
Following the ruling, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s Ambassador to Kabul, officially informed Amir Khan Muttaqi of the decision during a meeting. Muttaqi described the development as a major step forward in Taliban-Russia relations.
Despite the legal shift, Russia has yet to formally recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
In a statement released on 18 April, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that, despite the suspension of the terrorist designation, Moscow remains bound by United Nations Security Council sanctions against individual Taliban leaders.
