In a significant shift in its stance, Russia appears poised to remove the Taliban from its list of prohibited terrorist organizations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Monday that both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice have proposed delisting the Taliban, as reported by state-run news outlet RIA Novosti.
The proposal was made to Russian President Vladimir Putin, following assessments by the Ministries involved, and endorsed by Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President’s special representative for Afghanistan. Lavrov highlighted the Taliban’s significant power and noted that the group is not classified as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Kabulov emphasized that removing the Taliban from the list aligns with UNSC resolutions, which impose restrictions on interactions with the Taliban but allow certain exemptions for humanitarian purposes, as outlined in Resolution 2615. The Taliban, meanwhile, responded to the proposal by claiming, “We have never been terrorists, but we fought to liberate our country from foreign occupation.”
In addition to Russia, Kazakhstan has also decided to exclude the Taliban from its banned terrorist organizations list. However, a final decision supporting the de-listing from President Vladimir Putin is awaited. For further details, visit the full article on JURIST’s website.