DUBAI, July 1. /TASS/. The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia), which seized power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, has proved its ability to maintain relations with the international community, Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, addressing a Doha conference on Afghanistan.
"Relationships with regional countries demonstrate that the Islamic Emirate (the country’s official name used by the Taliban government - TASS) has the commitment and capacity to establish and maintain relations. Consequently, other nations, particularly Western countries, can remove the obstacles hindering the development of relations <...>; they can take genuine and practical steps toward positive engagement," he said in an address published on the Taliban government’s website.
The Taliban spokesman also pointed to the growing level of political understanding with other countries. "Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its list of prohibited groups last month, and it is anticipated that the Russian Federation will take similar measures in the near future. Concurrently, the People’s Republic of China has officially recognized the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," Mujahid specified.
A two-day meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan kicked off in the Qatari capital of Doha on June 30. The Taliban were also invited to the event; their six-member delegation is led by the movement’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Participants are discussing political and economic issues pertaining to the further development of Afghanistan.
This is the third UN-led meeting held since May 2023. The Taliban did not attend the second round of talks that took place in February 2024.