KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, has announced that a high-ranking Russian delegation will soon visit Kabul to hold discussions with Taliban officials.
In a statement released by the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kabulov met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, in Kabul on Sunday, November 24. Kabulov stated that the upcoming delegation’s visit would focus on exploring avenues for expanded cooperation in various sectors.
During the meeting, Muttaqi stressed the importance of enhancing bilateral ties, particularly in economic and trade sectors. He noted the significance of exchanges between delegations and highlighted that several Taliban officials had traveled to Russia for discussions over the past year.
Although no country has officially recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government since their takeover, many neighboring and regional nations, including Russia, have maintained relations with the group despite concerns over security and human rights violations.
Russia continues to engage with the Taliban while keeping its embassy in Kabul operational and transferring the Afghan embassy in Moscow to Taliban-appointed diplomats. However, the Taliban remain designated as a terrorist organization by Moscow.
Earlier this year, the Taliban’s foreign ministry announced that Russia had initiated steps to remove the group from its terrorist organization list, submitting a proposal to President Vladimir Putin. Andrei Rudenko, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, confirmed the delisting process is underway but cautioned that it is premature to discuss formally recognizing the Taliban government.
In October, Amir Khan Muttaqi led a Taliban delegation to Moscow for the sixth Moscow Format meeting, where he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a sideline discussion. The delegation attended at the official invitation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscoring the ongoing dialogue between the two sides.
