Moscow (Kubha News) – The Russian Foreign and Justice Ministries are collaborating on a plan to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups and remove certain sanctions from Taliban officials.
According to Gazete.Ru, citing sources within the Russian Foreign Ministry, both ministries are currently working on the plan, and upon its finalization, the Taliban will be delisted from the terrorist groups.
A source within the Russian foreign ministry stated: “In addition to the Foreign and Justice Ministries, several other government agencies are working on the plan to delist the Taliban from the terrorist groups, but the final decision will be made by the Russian government leadership.”
In 2003, Russia listed the Taliban as a terrorist group, following the designation by the United Nations Security Council of the Taliban’s military activities as terrorist actions.
Zamir Kabulov, the Special Representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan, informed Russian media on Tuesday April 01, 2024, that the Russian Foreign Ministry has invited Taliban officials to participate in the Islamic World Forum, hosting by Russia.
The Islamic World Forum is scheduled to take place from May 14 to 19 this year in Kazan, Russia, where discussions regarding the situation in Islamic countries, cooperation among these nations, particularly situation in Gaza, will be discussed.
Kabulov mentioned that Russia and the Taliban regularly collaborate on counterterrorism issues but did not specify the details of such cooperation.
With the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, Russia remains among the few countries that have kept its embassy open in Afghanistan and refrained from recalling its ambassador. However, Moscow has continuously emphasized that a long way lies ahead for the formal recognition of the Taliban government.
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, told reporters in New York on February 14, 2024, that Moscow would not recognize the Taliban government until it fulfills its political commitments regarding human rights and the formation of an inclusive government.
It is unclear why Russia has suddenly decided to delist the Taliban from the terrorist groups, but apparently, last week’s ISIS attack on a concert hall in Moscow has prompted Russia to offer concessions to the Taliban for their cooperation in combating ISIS.