Russia: Taliban’s banned status blocks relations

The spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that developing relations with the Taliban is impossible as long as the group remains on Russia’s black list.

Maria Zakharova added that cooperating with the Taliban is essential to address the terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said, “We have repeatedly stated that, like other global powers, Russia aims to develop pragmatic cooperation with Kabul on issues of mutual concern, including combating terrorist threats and drug trafficking originating from Afghanistan’s soil.”

She further emphasized, “However, it is clearly impossible to achieve this goal unless the terrorist designation on the Taliban is removed.”

Zakharova also referred to a bill presented to the Russian Parliament on November 25. Some members of the lower house introduced a draft law that would allow the temporary removal of the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations in Russia.

The bill was presented by 12 members of the Russian parliament.

According to Interfax news agency, the bill suggests that the activities of some prohibited organizations, under Russian law, can be temporarily suspended upon the request of the Prosecutor General or their deputy, with a court order.

The suspension would depend on the complete cessation of activities supporting, justifying, or promoting terrorism.

Under current Russian laws, there is no provision for the temporary suspension of activities of banned organizations.

Senior Taliban officials, after their meeting on Monday with Sergei Shoigu, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, announced that the Kremlin had promised to remove the Taliban from Russia’s list of prohibited organizations. However, the Kremlin spokesperson stressed that no decision had been made yet on this matter.

The ongoing discussions between the Taliban and Russian officials highlight the complexity of international relations involving Afghanistan. While Russia is open to practical cooperation, the issue of terrorism designations remains a significant hurdle to formalizing any agreements with the Taliban.

This development also reflects the broader geopolitical considerations that continue to shape the future of Afghanistan’s relations with major global powers.

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