The special representative of the Russian President on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said today that “at the highest level it was taken” decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations, reported Reuters.
„The Foreign Ministry, together with the Federal Security Service (FSS) and a number of other Russian departments, are completing the legal work on the processes of excluding the Taliban movement from Russia's terrorist list. It's not about wanting – the principle decision on this matter has already been taken by the top leadership of Russia. But all processes must be carried out within the framework of the Russian legal space”, said Kabulov, quoted by TASS.
The diplomat noted that the Russian authorities “are obliged to observe federal laws”. “I hope that the acceptance of the final decision will be announced in the near future. This requires the meticulous work of lawyers, parliament and other departments so that this process can be completed in the order established by law. This is the only question”, the special representative of the Russian president stressed.
TASS reports that earlier today FSS Director Alexander Bortnikov stated that Russia is completing work on removing the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations. According to him, Moscow sees “the readiness of the Taliban to fight the most dangerous wing of the “Islamic State” – “Vilaet Khorasan“.
Reuters recalled that in July, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia considers the Taliban movement in Afghanistan an ally in the fight against terrorism. Russia has been gradually building ties with the Taliban since they took control of the Central Asian country in August 2021 after US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war, the agency added.