Russia Officially Recognizes The Taliban As Afghanistan’s Legitimate Government

Moscow has officially recognized the Taliban in Afghanistan, becoming the first major power to establish formal diplomatic ties with the Islamic government. The Russian Supreme Court had previously removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations in April this year, effectively legalizing its activities for the first time since the designation in 2003.

The Taliban movement returned to power in August 2021 following a chaotic withdrawal by US and NATO forces and renamed the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko formally accepted the credentials of Afghanistan’s newly appointed ambassador to Moscow, Ghulam Hassan, a step seen as establishing diplomatic ties. The Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, also stated this had occurred.

According to media reports, the black-and-white Taliban flag was raised over the Afghan embassy in Moscow—the first flag to fly there since 2021. The Taliban banned the country’s previous black, red, and green tricolor after retaking power.

Russia’s ambassador to Kabul, Dmitry Zhirnov, said that the decision to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was made by President Vladimir Putin on the recommendation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Zhirnov said Russia was also the first to recognize Afghanistan’s independence over a century ago. These steps, he added, show Moscow’s “genuine desire to build a full-fledged partnership with Afghanistan” and reflect a friendly stance toward the Afghan people.

Although the Taliban government has not been officially recognized by most of the international community, several Central Asian states have recently renewed ties with Kabul. Kazakhstan removed the group from its terrorist list in June 2024, followed by Kyrgyzstan in September. Turkmenistan has resumed cooperation through the TAPI gas pipeline project, and Uzbekistan signed several joint agreements with Kabul in August 2024.

Afghanistan’s ambassador to Qatar also stated that Russia’s decision had created “opportunities for joint work” and urged other countries to follow Moscow’s example.

Afghanistan is engaged in various regional and bilateral trade agreements to improve its economic integration. Key memberships include the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), facilitating trade with neighboring South Asian countries, and bilateral agreements with Pakistan, China, Iran, and India. Notably, the Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) allows Afghanistan to import goods duty-free through Pakistani seaports, though its implementation has faced challenges. The Economic Cooperation Organization Trade Agreement (ECOTA) also aims to promote regional trade.

In October 2024, China announced it would offer Afghanistan zero-tariff treatment for all Afghan exports, further strengthening their trade ties. Afghanistan has significant mineral reserves yet little infrastructure to extract them, with Russia and China interested in this potential; however, the security situation remains tense.

The proposed Uzbekistan-Afghan-Pakistan railway would also help with Afghani imports and exports and could become, if realized, a key Russian and Central Asian route through to South Asia.

With a population of approximately 42.6 million, Afghanistan has a GDP (PPP) of around US$88.38 billion, with a GDP growth rate of 2.3%. The GDP (PPP) per capita currently stands at US$1,365.

Afghanistan’s bilateral trade with Russia has shown growth, increasing from approximately US$86.6 million in 2021 to US$170 million in 2022 and US$1 billion in 2023. Ongoing trends suggest a positive trajectory, with expectations to increase trade turnover to US$3 billion by 2025 and US$10 billion by 2030. There have also been recent moves to use each other’s currencies in bilateral trade.