MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. The Supreme Court's decision to suspend the ban on the Taliban movement's activities in Russia contributes to strengthening mutual trust and expanding interactions between Moscow and Kabul, according to Grigory Lukyanov, a researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who shared his opinion in an interview with TASS.
"Over the past few years of the Taliban's rule, the dialogue between the countries has been developing. The designation of the Taliban as a terrorist organization under Russian legislation, however, hindered the further development of these relations. In this context, its delisting marks an important milestone and serves as a crucial step toward building mutual trust and expanding engagement with Afghanistan under the current leadership of the Taliban movement," he stated.
Lukyanov noted that the Taliban have demonstrated their ability to maintain power despite a challenging internal political and economic situation, as well as a difficult foreign policy environment. He added that the Taliban have established themselves as a reliable partner in addressing a broad range of regional issues.
"Despite the United States' professed interest in fostering lasting regional peace, Afghanistan before the Taliban’s rise to power was a source of regional instability and challenges. Since taking power, the Taliban have managed to reduce these threats. Moreover, they have expressed their readiness to cooperate constructively with all regional countries for the sake of mutual benefit. This approach has been appreciated by neighboring nations such as Russia and China, as well as regional international organizations, which are not rushing to exclude Afghanistan from multilateral negotiations," Lukyanov emphasized.
The expert also pointed out that Russia’s legal mechanisms and measures are continuously evolving to adapt to new realities.
"In this situation, it is clear that legislation in this area must be more carefully and delicately adjusted to reflect current circumstances. The more flexible and responsive the legal framework, the more effective it will be in countering extremism and terrorism," Lukyanov concluded.
Taliban’s status in Russia
Earlier, Russia’s Supreme Court upheld an administrative request from the Prosecutor-General for suspending the ban on the Taliban movement within Russia. The decision took effect immediately.
The hearing was held behind closed doors. This decision marks the first under the legal norm that came into force in December 2024, allowing for the temporary suspension of bans on organizations listed as terrorist entities.
At the end of December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law establishing the possibility of temporarily suspending the ban on activities of organizations included in the unified list of terrorist groups.