Lavrov: Russia accredits first diplomat sent by Afghan new government

Russia’s foreign ministry has accredited the first diplomat sent to Moscow by Afghanistan’s new government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"I would like to note that the first Afghan diplomat, who arrived in Moscow last month, have been accredited by the Russian foreign ministry," he said at the third ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries (Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).

According to Lavrov, Kabul is taking efforts to expand economic and diplomatic ties. "Officials of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) government regularly meet with foreign partners in bilateral and multilateral formats, as it was in Moscow, Tehran, Doha, Oslo, and Antalya. Today, this list has been supplemented by the city of Tunxi," he said, adding that Moscow observed gradual improvement in Afghanistan’s economic cooperation with other countries of the region, which demonstrate interests to that country.

"Naturally, these contacts promote international recognition of Afghanistan’s new authorities," Lavrov said.

After the Biden administration announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. On September 6, the Taliban said they had taken control of the entire country and the following day announced a new interim government. However, this government has not been officially recognized by any of the world’s nations.