Kabul Applauds Moscow's Move to Exclude Taliban from Terrorist Designation

Kabul, Dec 12 (NationPress) The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its approval regarding the recent decision made by the Russian State Duma (the lower house of the parliament) to excise the Taliban from the classification of terrorist groups.

On Tuesday, the Russian State Duma enacted a bill during the first of three necessary readings to delist the Taliban, the current governing body of Afghanistan, from the array of banned organizations, as reported by Xinhua news agency citing Interfax.

In a statement shared on his X account on Wednesday evening, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, noted, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan commends the Russian Federation's parliament for endorsing a proposal that seeks to remove the 'Taliban Movement', which was earlier known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, from the list of prohibited entities in Russia."

He further added, "This decision signifies a major advancement and is intended to eliminate hindrances to strengthening the bilateral relationship between Afghanistan and the Russian Federation."

Moreover, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Afghan caretaker government, remarked to local media that this decision marks a crucial step forward in fostering closer ties between Afghanistan and Russia.