Russia on Thursday became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban’s de facto government in Afghanistan, four years after the Sunni Islamist group seized power for the second time in August 2021.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the official recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government would foster “productive bilateral cooperation.”
The ministry said in a statement that Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko accepted copies of credentials from Afghanistan’s newly appointed ambassador to Moscow, Gul Hassan Hassan.
“We see considerable prospects for interaction in trade and the economy with a focus on projects in energy, transport, agriculture, and infrastructure,” the ministry said in the statement. “We will continue to assist Kabul in strengthening regional security and fighting terrorist threats and drug crime.”…
Russia Officially Recognizes Taliban as Government of Afghanistan
