Russia set to remove Taliban from terrorist organizations list
Russia is set to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations. A decision already made at the highest level, reports TASS, citing Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President's Special Envoy for Afghanistan. According to Kabulov, only formalities remain to be completed.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the FSB and several other Russian agencies, is finalizing the legal work to exclude the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist organizations. It's not about desire; the principle decision on this matter has been made by Russia's top leadership. However, all processes need to be completed within the framework of Russian law."
Earlier in April, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned efforts to remove the terrorist status of the Taliban, a group banned in Russia. In December, Kazakhstan's authorities took the Taliban off their list of banned organizations.
Having the status of a terrorist organization has not hindered Moscow from cooperating with the Taliban. The Russian embassy in Kabul continued its operations after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, and representatives of the group frequently visit Russia.
In May, a journalist in Moscow, Nadezhda Kevorkova, was arrested on charges related to the justification of terrorism. One of the counts she faces is linked to justifying the activities of the Taliban.