Russia became the first country in the world to recognize the Taliban government

Russia announced that it had accepted the credentials of the new Afghan ambassador to Moscow, becoming the first country in the world to recognize the Taliban government, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various spheres," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The Taliban have taken an important step towards their international legalization," the Afghan Foreign Ministry announced on July 3 in a post on the social network X.

Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Russia has officially announced its recognition of the government of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" formed by the Taliban movement.

The decision was announced during a meeting in Kabul between Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov and Taliban Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Mottaki.

"During the meeting, the Russian Ambassador officially announced the decision of the Russian government to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Ambassador emphasized the importance of this decision," the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

This statement effectively makes Russia the first major world power to officially recognize the Taliban government after it returned to power in 2021.

Details on whether this includes the formal establishment of diplomatic relations or the signing of new agreements have not yet been clarified.