The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement confirming the decision: “We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields.”
Praising Russia’s official recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Muttaqi called it a “brave decision” and added that this move will act as "a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect, and constructive engagement".
Muttaqi said, “This brave decision will be an example for others... Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia is ahead of everyone.”
According to the statement confirmed by the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry to TASS news agency, Russia saw the potential for "commercial and economic" cooperation in "energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure", and said that it would continue to help Kabul to fight against the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
Russia And Taliban Ruled Afghanistan In The Past
During the 2021 Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Russia was one of the few countries that did not pull out its embassy from the country.
In 2022, Russia became the first country to sign a trade deal with the Taliban. Russia, in this deal, agreed to supply oil, gas and wheat to Afghanistan.
In April, Russia’s top court removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organisations, more than twenty years after it had first been given the label. The New York Times reported: Russian officials said that the removal of Taliban from the list would allow closer security cooperation against the Islamic State-Khorasan, a branch of the Islamic State that is active in Afghanistan. ISIS-K had killed 130 people last year at a concert hall outside Moscow. ISIS-K also attacked the Russian Embassy in Kabul in 2022.
Russia has a complex history with Afghanistan. Soviet troops invaded the country in 1979 to install a communist government. It eventually withdrew from Afghanistan in February 1989.
