Russia has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as of July 3, making it the first nation to officially recognize the Taliban-led government. The Russian Foreign Ministry posted a short press release that includes a photo of Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko accepting the diplomatic credentials of Gul Hassan, Afghanistan’s new ambassador to Moscow.
The decision was taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the recommendation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “This is a decision that was taken in principle by the President of the Russian Federation at the suggestion of the Russian foreign minister. It demonstrates Russia’s sincere desire to establish a comprehensive partnership with Afghanistan,” stated Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov, on Rossiya-1 television, reported TASS.
“More than 100 years ago, our country was also the first in the world to recognize the independence of Afghanistan,” the ambassador said. “All this is evidence of our traditionally friendly attitude to the Afghan people.”
