Three years after regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban will be removed from the list of banned terrorist groups in Russia.

For years, Russia has tried to re-construct its relations with the Taliban. Russia tried engaging in multiple rounds of talks to boost trade with Afghanistan despite international sanctions. Recently, Kazakhstan also de-listed the Taliban from the list of banned organisations.

Terrorist Group
FILE — Women protest the Taliban’s decision to cancel the return of high school-aged girls to the classroom, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 26, 2022. The group has promised moderation even while reinstituting its harsh rule of Afghanistan; now, the revelation that the Taliban were sheltering Al Qaeda’s leader is likely to harden support for sanctions. (Bryan Denton/The New York Times)

"We're taking the same approach as Kazakhstan and removing the Taliban from our list of terrorist groups," RIA Novosti quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. 

Russia and Kazakhstan Shift Stance on Taliban: Removing from Terrorist Group Lists

This initiative could strengthen diplomatic ties between Afghanistan and Russia, but it doesn't mean formal recognition of the Taliban government, which it calls the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.'

The Taliban snatched power in 2021 from a US-backed government in Afghanistan. They have imposed strict Islamic laws, effectively banning women from public life.

"They are the existent power. We are not indifferent to Afghanistan. And above all, our allies in Central Asia are not indifferent," said Lavrov.

Some state media reports suggest, that Russia also invited Taliban representatives to its Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The event which was once seen as the foundation of Russia's economic ties with the West, now appears to be overlapped by Russia's years of building connections with the Taliban.

In 2018, the head of US forces in Afghanistan claimed that Moscow was providing weaponry support to the Taliban. However, these claims were denied by Russia at that time.

Russia listed the Taliban as a terrorist organization in 2003.

Russia has a complicated history with Afghanistan. In the 1980s, the Soviet Union fought a decade-long war to support a pro-Soviet government against USA-backed mujahideen insurgents.

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