Kabul: Russia has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, as confirmed by Zamir Kabulov, the Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan. Kabulov reiterated earlier announcements made by both the Afghan and Russian foreign ministries during a press briefing on Thursday.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Afghan Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, met with Kabulov in Kabul last April. During this meeting, Kabulov informed Muttaqi of Russia's official recognition of the Taliban government and the decision to elevate the diplomatic representation between the two countries to the ambassadorial level.
Further diplomatic engagements occurred in early June when Amir Khan Muttaqi received Dmitry Zhirnov, the Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan. During this meeting, Zhirnov presented a note to the Afghan minister acknowledging the credentials of Afghanistan's Ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan Hassan.
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 after overthrowing the US-backed government. Since then, they have been implementing Sharia, or Islamic law, throughout the country.