Kremlin considers removing Taliban's terrorist status amid growing cooperation discussions

Russia is weighing the possibility of removing the Afghan Taliban's designation as a terrorist organization, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.

During a briefing, Ushakov confirmed that the idea is currently being discussed, though it remains in the early stages and has not been finalized, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

"There are certain considerations in favor of starting cooperation with this organization," Ushakov remarked, referring to the potential shift in the Taliban’s status. He emphasized, however, that these discussions are still in the realm of speculation.

The topic of Afghanistan, including relations with the Taliban, is consistently addressed at meetings of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Ushakov added. He noted that Afghanistan would be among the key issues to be discussed at the upcoming CSTO summit in Astana on November 28.

On October 4, Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, stated that a decision in principle had been made at the highest level to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations, though certain legal procedures still need to be followed.

Earlier, Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Russian Federal Security Service, noted that Moscow recognizes the Taliban's efforts to combat Wilayat Khorasan, the most dangerous faction of the Islamic State (IS, which is banned in Russia).

According to a report from foreign media, ahead of this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum—which has been attended by a Taliban delegation since 2022—the Kremlin handed a PR victory to the rulers of Afghanistan. The Russian foreign and justice ministries submitted a formal proposal to President Vladimir Putin to remove the Taliban from Russia’s list of designated terrorist organizations. The Taliban has been on that list since 2003, along with groups like al-Qaeda, for backing separatists in the North Caucasus back then.

Kazakhstan took a similar decision in December 2023, although it only started speaking about it publicly in June. In another key country in Central Asia, Uzbekistan, the Taliban has never been designated as extremist. 

By Vafa Guliyeva