One week after Moscow accredited a diplomat of the Islamic Emirate, the Russian Foreign Ministry said accepting the first diplomat of the Islamic Emirate is an important step in the resumption of diplomatic contacts between the two countries.

Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, added that accepting the diplomat of the caretaker government does not mean recognizing the current government.

“It is too early to talk about the official recognition of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan,” said Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

However, Kabul considers it important to establish diplomatic relations with Russia and emphasizes that efforts are ongoing to maintain formal relations with all countries.

“Diplomatic relations with Russia are important for the government of Afghanistan, and the Islamic Emirate is trying to formalize its relations with other countries through a balanced policy,” said Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.

Although the Islamic Emirate has not yet been officially recognized by any country, countries such as Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia have accepted diplomats from the Islamic Emirate.

“A government, which is in power in the country, in order to implement some of its work needs to establish diplomatic relations with countries,” said Sayed Javad Sajjadi, an expert on international relations.

Previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergeĭ Viktorovich Lavrov received the first diplomat of the Islamic Emirate at the Afghan Embassy in Moscow at a meeting of Afghan-neighboring countries in China.