Russian Ministry Proposes Removal of the Taliban from the Terrorist List to President Putin

Illustration of the Taliban. (Twitter/@HabibiSamangani)

JAKARTA - Director of the Asia II Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zamir Kabulov said that his ministry together with the Russian Ministry of Justice had reported to President Vladimir Putin that the Taliban group, which is banned in Russia, could be removed from the country's list of terrorist organizations.

According to him, this attitude is supported by a number of government institutions.

"Positive," he told TASS when asked about the Foreign Ministry's position on this issue, as quoted on May 28.

"This (removal of the Taliban from the list of prohibited organizations before its recognition) must be done. Without this, it would be too early to talk about recognition. Therefore, efforts to address this issue continue. All considerations have been reported to the Russian supreme leader. We are waiting for his decision," added Kabulov.

He explained that the Taliban government had taken a long journey to gain recognition since coming to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

"However, there are still several obstacles that must be overcome, after which the Russian leadership will take a decision," explained Kabulov.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that this elimination plan was the same as that taken by Kazakhstan, which recently removed the Taliban from its list of banned organizations.

"We are taking the same approach as Kazakhstan and removing the Taliban from our list of terrorist groups," RIA Novosti quoted Foreign Minister Lavrov as saying.

It said that while the move may strengthen diplomatic ties between Afghanistan and Russia, it does not constitute formal recognition of the Taliban government.

"They are the powers that be. We are not indifferent to Afghanistan. And most importantly, our allies in Central Asia are not indifferent either," Lavrov said.

It is known that the Taliban has been designated as a terrorist organization in Russia since 2003.

The Taliban launched a massive operation to take control of Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its troops in August 2021. As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad, the Taliban entered Kabul without resistance.