The abolition of the Taliban designation as a terrorist organization has come into force, allowing Russian leaders to conduct direct negotiations.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation canceled the designation of the Afghan ruling Taliban movement as a “terrorist organization”. According to AFP, this is a symbolic gesture aimed at building friendly relationships with the factual rulers of Afghanistan, writes TASR.
This Islamist group has returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 after US forces supported by an internationally recognized government withdrew from the country. Russia, which has identified the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a “failure” since then has taken steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities because, according to AFP, it considers them a potential economic partner and an ally in the fight against terrorism.
“The current ban on the Taliban activity – included in the unified federal list of organizations recognized as terrorist – has been suspended,” said the Supreme Court Judge Oleg Nepdov, writes TASS. The decision concerning the cancellation of the Taliban designation as a terrorist organization has entered into force.
Taliban was included in Russia on a list of terrorist organizations in 2003. Any contacts with such groups are criminal according to the laws there. Nevertheless, the Taliban delegations participated in various forums organized by Moscow. Russian leaders argued in pointing out this contradiction by the need to involve the Taliban in the stabilization of Afghanistan.
The Russian Prosecutor General asked the court to cancel the group’s designation as “terrorist” last month. MEPs, the State Duma, the Lower Chamber of the Russian Parliament, passed the law enabling the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations in December last year.
AFP notes that Russia’s decision to abolish the mentioned designation does not mean formal recognition of the Taliban authorities, but allows normal contacts of Russian representatives with the Talibs.
Taliban was removed from the list of terrorist organizations last year in Kazakhstan.
After returning to power, the Taliban is fighting against another jihadist group Islamic State of Korásán (IS-K). Its members applied for responsibility for attacking the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk in the Moscow region, which lost 22 March 2024 by 145 people and more than 500 people suffered injuries. It was the bloodiest terrorist attack in Russia in almost two decades.
