Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: ‘Taliban is a real power in Afghanistan’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that the Taliban holds substantial influence in Afghanistan, stating, “We care about Afghanistan,” during a press briefing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Lavrov’s remarks on Monday highlighted the Taliban’s significant role in Afghanistan, suggesting that their potential removal from Moscow’s list of banned terrorist organizations reflects the “objective reality,” as reported by the state news agency TASS.

According to TASS, Russian ministries have advised President Vladimir Putin on the possibility of delisting the Taliban, and Moscow has extended an invitation to the group to attend a prominent economic forum in St. Petersburg next month.

Addressing the proposal to remove the Taliban from Russia’s list of banned terrorist organizations, Lavrov emphasized, “They (Taliban) are the real power. We care about Afghanistan. Our allies in Central Asia also care about Afghanistan. Therefore, this process reflects the recognition of reality.”

Lavrov also commented on the absence of the Taliban from the U.N. Security Council’s terrorist organization list, noting that only a limited number of individuals are designated as terrorists by the U.N.

“There are only 12-15 people on the terror list there,” he stated.

The Taliban was initially designated as a banned terrorist organization in Russia by a decision of the Russian Supreme Court in 2003.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan, today confirmed that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have proposed to the Kremlin the removal of the Taliban from Russia’s list of banned terrorist organizations.