Removing Taliban From Terrorist List Will Be A Lengthy Process, Says Russian Official

Andrey Rudenko, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, has stated that the process of temporarily suspending the Taliban from Russia’s list of terrorist organisations will take considerable time.

Addressing the possibility of formally recognising the Taliban, he emphasised that Moscow will not act hastily.

On 28 December 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree amending certain laws, allowing for the temporary suspension of a group’s terrorist designation through a Supreme Court decision.

Rudenko told Interfax news agency that this mechanism applies to the Taliban, but reiterated that the process will take time.

The Russian Supreme Court designated the Taliban as a terrorist organisation on 14 February 2003, effectively banning its activities in the country.

While Russia, like other nations, does not officially recognise the Taliban government, it has nevertheless handed control of Afghanistan’s embassy in Moscow to the group and continues to maintain diplomatic and economic relations with them.

Currently, Jamal Nasir Gharwal serves as the Taliban’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow, having been officially approved by Russia’s Foreign Ministry in April 2022.

In his Monday interview with Interfax, Rudenko clarified that upgrading the Taliban’s diplomatic representation in Moscow to ambassadorial level is not a possibility in the near future.

Meanwhile, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, previously announced that Moscow plans to establish a Russia-Taliban Joint Working Group in Spring 2025.

Kabulov explained that, as the Taliban has not yet been formally recognised, the new working group will replace the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, serving as an interim mechanism for bilateral engagements.