KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, welcomed Russia’s decision to suspend the Taliban’s designation as a banned organization, calling it a “positive and important step.”
In a statement, the Taliban said that during a meeting in Kabul, Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, officially confirmed that Russia’s Supreme Court had agreed to suspend the Taliban’s designation on its list of banned organizations.
According to the Taliban’s account of the meeting, Zhirnov described the court’s decision as “historic” and said it would open the door to expanded economic and political relations between Russia and Afghanistan.
Muttaqi said the move “removed the final obstacle” to closer cooperation between the two sides.
On Thursday, Russian media reported that the country’s Supreme Court had agreed to suspend the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organization, following a formal request from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office. The session was held behind closed doors, and a representative of the Taliban was reportedly present.
While the decision marks a significant political shift, the Taliban remain formally recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia, and they continue to be subject to United Nations sanctions.
The move comes as Moscow seeks to deepen ties with the Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, even as the group remains diplomatically isolated by most of the international community.
