Russia sets out conditions for recognizing Taliban
Russia is ready to support the Taliban government’s efforts to gain international recognition if Kabul fulfills its commitment to human rights and ethnopolitical inclusivity, the Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan said on Tuesday.
Speaking to Moscow daily RBK, Zamir Kabulov explained what is required of the group if it is to be recognized as the legitimate authority in Kabul.
“The global community has a list of demands. First of all, ethnopolitical inclusivity of the [Taliban] government. There are representatives of other ethnicities in the government, but all of them are members of the Taliban. Second, we expect the Taliban to respect basic human rights. To start with, we’re talking about women’s right to work as well as other civil rights,” the Kremlin’s envoy said in an interview.
The diplomat added that Moscow is not trying to impose Russian ideas on Kabul, since Afghanistan has its own cultural and religious traditions, but advised the Taliban’s leadership to study the practices of other Muslim nations.
“The conditions to officially recognize new Afghan authorities will be ripe after significant progress is made on these issues,” concluded Kabulov.
The Russian official also noted that, just last week, 135 children died in Afghanistan. He believes that the real situation in the country is even worse than what is being reported by the UN.
“If the Taliban wants to stay in power, they will have to create normal conditions for most citizens, which is impossible without international humanitarian and economic aid,” Kabulov said.
He added that the US and its allies are partly responsible for the Afghan humanitarian crisis. The West has blocked Kabul’s financial assets and has cut the country’s banking system from SWIFT. The latter move prevents international organizations from providing financial support to Afghanistan. The envoy also criticized US demands to denationalize Afghanistan’s Central Bank, claiming it would be humiliating for Kabul.
“The Americans seem to forget that they have lost the war and not the other way around. So, it’s not up to them to dictate the capitulation terms,” Kabulov said.
The Taliban, a terrorist organization banned in Russia, seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, following a hectic evacuation by the US military, which unceremoniously ended its 20-year-long presence in the country. With American troops leaving, the organization quickly toppled the US-supported regime in Kabul. Most Afghan cities surrendered to the Taliban without a fight.
