Moscow has developed close informal ties with the Taliban since they regained power in Afghanistan three years ago after the United States and NATO forces withdrew ending 20 years of war.
President Vladimir Putin stated in July that Russia considered the Taliban an ally in the fight against terrorism. The former Afghan insurgent group has been on the Russian list of terrorist organizations since 2003.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov praised the Taliban for combating narcotics in Afghanistan and fighting a regional Islamic State affiliate known as IS-Khorasan (IS-K).
“We support the Afghan authorities’ resolve to combat the terrorist threat,” he told the conference Friday.
Muttaqi called on all regional countries “to cooperate in preventing the recruitment of their citizens by ISIS and then send them to Afghanistan and other countries to carry out subversive operations.”
He used an acronym for IS-K, which the United Nations describes as the most significant terrorist regional threat emanating from Afghan soil.
The Taliban foreign minister did not name any country, but Kabul formally alleged last week that the terrorist group is orchestrating attacks from bases in Pakistan, charges officials in Islamabad have refuted as unfounded.
No country has officially recognized the de facto Taliban government, although China and the United Arab Emirates have formally accepted Taliban-appointed ambassadors.
Washington remains opposed to any step toward easing sanctions or moving toward recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistan’s rightful government, saying Kabul must improve its human rights record to win international legitimacy and support.
“We will look for interest in any outcomes and deliverables from the upcoming Moscow Format meeting, but we do not participate,” Karen Decker, the head of the Doha-based U.S. diplomatic mission for Afghanistan, told reporters Thursday.
The U.S. has never attended a Moscow Format meeting because it is seen as a regional conversation, said Decker, who has also been tasked with overseeing Afghan diplomacy
Russia announced Friday that it has made a “principal decision” to remove Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations. Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s presidential envoy for Afghanistan, shared with the state-run TASS news agency that the foreign ministry and national security agencies are “finalizing the legal details” to delist the Taliban, in accordance with federal laws.
“A principal decision on this has already been made by the Russian leadership,” Kabulov stated, adding that the final declaration will be made soon.
This announcement coincided with a regional conference on Afghanistan, hosted in Moscow and led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. During the event, Lavrov also engaged in bilateral talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who headed the Taliban delegation for the multilateral gathering under the Moscow Format platform.
In his address to the assembled countries, including China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, Lavrov emphasized the need for “pragmatic dialogue” with the current Afghan government. He affirmed Russia’s commitment to fostering political, trade, and economic ties with Kabul, stating that Moscow “will continue to develop” its relationship with Afghanistan.
The Moscow Format, initiated by Russia in 2017, has become a regular platform for discussing Afghanistan’s ongoing challenges, particularly in the aftermath of decades of conflict. At the conference, Muttaqi expressed appreciation for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan’s recent decisions to remove the Taliban from their lists of outlawed organizations. He also welcomed the “positive remarks” from Russian officials and looked forward to further progress on the issue.
Russia’s involvement in Afghanistan has a long and complex history, beginning with the Soviet invasion in 1979 to support a pro-Moscow government in Kabul. The Soviet forces withdrew a decade later after facing heavy casualties inflicted by U.S.-backed Afghan mujahideen insurgents.
