Russia in 'sync' with US, China, Pakistan; rules out international recognition of Taliban

While the Taliban is seeking international acceptance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, 25 September, said that the global recognition of the Taliban is currently “not on the table”. It has already been over a month when the Taliban captured Kabul after a violent and rapid advance against Afghanistan’s government forces. After taking over the war-ravaged nation and announcing its new Cabinet, the Taliban regime faces the challenge of getting international recognition. 

However, while speaking at the UNGA, Lavrov said, “​​The question of international recognition of the Taliban at the present juncture is not on the table.”

The Russian minister said that Moscow is in contact with the Taliban and that it is extremely important that the insurgents fulfil their promises. Lavrov also added that Russia, China, Pakistan and the US are working together to ensure that the Taliban keep their promises, especially to form a genuinely representative government and prevent extremism from spreading. Lavrov said the four nations are in contact, adding representatives from Russia, China and Pakistan recently travelled to Qatar and then to Kabul in a bid to engage with both the Taliban and representatives of “secular authorities”. 

Lavrov said the Taliban's interim government does not reflect “the whole gamut of Afghan society - ethno-religious and political forces - so we are engaging in contacts. They are ongoing.”

Lavrov’s UNGA statement comes after he previously stated that no country is in hurry to officially recognise the interim government formed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Separately, earlier Russian News agency TASS quoted Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov who said, "You know that no decisions to recognize the Taliban have been made so far. Also, you know that we are keeping a close watch on what is happening there.” “What is most important, we are trying to understand to what extent the Taliban's promises and statements will correlate with their future actions," said Peskov. 

Countries in ‘no rush’ to recognise Taliban govt 

The Taliban announced the formation of the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' government and appointed hardline veterans to an all-male cabinet. It named Mullah Muhammad Hasan as the acting Prime Minister, while the group's co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar named as the Deputy Prime Minister. Taliban’s new interior minister - Sirajuddin Haqqani - is the leader of the Haqqani network, which the US designated as a terrorist group in 2012. 

The Taliban has said that it wants global recognition and financial help to rebuild the war-ravaged nation. However, the makeup of the new Taliban Cabinet poses a dilemma for several countries. As of now, only China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have extended support to the formation of the caretaker government in Afghanistan. Other countries, including Russia, have, however, clarified that they have made no decisions yet on whether or not it should recognise the Taliban. It is worth mentioning that earlier, the United States, Japan, Canada, France and the UK also expressed that they are in “no rush” to recognise the government formed by the Taliban. 

(With inputs from agencies)