Kabul, Afghanistan – The Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan in its bid for formal recognition established diplomatic ties with Russian government, adding up to the list of at least four other neighboring countries who have previously accredited the Taliban-appointed diplomats.
China, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan have accredited the Islamic Emirate’s appointed diplomat in recent months, though all had initially refused to recognize the 8-month-old government in Afghanistan.
This came after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last August, which lead the United States and other Western countries to shutting down their diplomatic posts in Kabul. They, however, have maintained contact with the group to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aids into the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday confirmed the Afghan Embassy in Moscow was handed over to the Islamic Emirates appointed diplomat, asserting they have the right to lead Afghan embassies for better services to its fellow citizen.
“The government’s envoy received credential form Moscow. We thank Russia for this move and hope to provide consular services for our compatriots in the country,” said Inammullah Samangani, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirates, as TOLOnews quoted.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova regards such accomplishment a resumption of full-fledged diplomatic relation, saying it was too early to “talk about official recognition of the Taliban.”
“We regard this as a step towards the resumption of full-fledged diplomatic contract,” said Zakharova, as Voice of America quoted, adding it was early to discuss full recognition of the Islamic Emirate and any further details could cause confusion among the group.
“Now is not the time to take any steps to lend credibility to the Taliban or normalize relations,” the spokesperson said in response to a query from VOA. “This move sends the wrong signal to the Taliban.”
The recent diplomatic ties have triggered numerous perspectives on the objective of such a move, with Russia clarifying its intention of the tie being solely for the diplomatic purposes. The Islamic Emirate, however, sees it as a milestone towards world recognition.
The Islamic Emirate has constantly persuaded in its bid to gain formal recognition from the United Nations and the world but has repeatedly faced rejection, paralyzing a number of government sectors across the country.
Last month, Kabul embassy in Washington and its consulates in New York and Los Angeles shut down due to budget shortage and an uncertain operational status.
