The removal of the Islamic Emirate from Russia’s blacklist has paved the way for opening official relations and recognizing the current government

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: After Russia’s unexpected move to suspend the Islamic Emirate from the country’s list of banned groups, analysts in a conversation with Ava consider Russia’s recent move toward Afghanistan an important step in expanding relations between the two countries.

 

In an interview with AVA, Abdul Bari Khalili, a university professor, pointed out that strengthening diplomatic and political relations would be the beginning of more formal relations between Kabul and Moscow, adding: Removing the name of the Islamic Emirate from the list of terrorist groups will pave the way for the opening of formal diplomatic relations and possible recognition of the current government, and will pave the way for more official meetings, signing agreements, and Afghanistan's participation in regional meetings sponsored by Russia. At the same time, this move is a sign of the beginning of practical and informal interaction between the two countries that could lead to full diplomatic representation.

 

Security and regional cooperation

Mr. Khalili called security cooperation between the two countries another consequence of Moscow's recent move, saying: Russia is concerned about the influence of ISIS through Central Asia. The Islamic Emirate's cooperation in this regard can be considered as part of Russia's security policy, and at the same time, Russia will try to maintain greater stability in the Central Asian republics through the Islamic Emirate and ultimately replace Western powers in its interaction with Afghanistan.

 

According to Khalili, economic relations between the two countries will strengthen in the future, and Russia may take advantage of this opportunity to enter into economic projects such as mining, road construction, and energy. Trade through the Sher Khan port and transit routes from northern Afghanistan can also strengthen trade relations between the two countries.

 

The university professor also stated: Russia's removal of the Islamic Emirate's name from the list of terrorist groups is an important development in the international relations of the Islamic Emirate and the future prospects of Afghanistan. This decision could have significant consequences in political, security, and economic dimensions.

 

According to him, Russia's recent decision may pave the way for other countries to officially interact with Afghanistan. He added that this move, especially for countries that have security and economic considerations, provides a basis for changing their policies and also facilitates security cooperation against groups such as ISIS, combating drug trafficking, and so on.

 

He also stated: Currently, no country has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate government as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. However, Russia has taken steps in recent months to normalize relations with Afghanistan.

 

Russia views the current Afghan government as a reality

Khalil Ahmad Nadeem, a political expert, also said in an interview with Ava: When the former Soviet Union was established, it was the first country to recognize the independence of Afghanistan. Therefore, the relationship between Afghanistan and Russia is not new, but has a long history.

 

According to Nadeem, Russia is interested in Afghanistan due to its strategic depth and interests and views it as a hub for communication between the countries of Central, South and Middle Asia. For this reason, Russia is trying to export its energy through Afghanistan to Pakistan, India and other countries that have good markets for Russia.

 

Nadam stated: On the other hand, Russia will invest in Afghanistan's natural resources in the future and also wants to establish relations with Central Asian countries, which are among Russia's satellites, through Afghanistan.

 

Pointing out that interactions between Russia and Afghanistan are in the interests of both countries, he added: It is not unlikely that Russia will be the first country to recognize the current Afghan government, because Russia has realized that over the past four years, no alternative to the Islamic Emirate has been proposed and the current system has become a reality, so it wants to interact with the current Afghan government.