MOSCOW

Kazakhstan removed the Afghan Taliban movement from the list of terrorist organizations.

In an interview with Kazakh state news agency Kazinform on Friday, the country's Foreign Ministry spokesman Aybek Smadiyarov pointed out that the Taliban are not listed as a terrorist organization by the UN Security Council.

“Kazakhstan regularly conducts an audit of the national list of terrorist organizations banned in the republic in order to update it. As part of this process, it was decided to exclude the Taliban movement from it in accordance with UN practice. Thus, according to the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which are binding, the Taliban movement is not included in the lists of organizations recognized by the UN Security Council as terrorist,” he said.

Further contacts between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan will be developed based on the UN position, and resolutions approved by the UN General Assembly and Security Council, he said.

Commenting on the move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said this decision may have a positive impact on the development of dialogue between the Kazakh and Afghan authorities, and strengthen mutual trust, including in common efforts to maintain regional security and combat terrorism and drug crime.

"This step will contribute to Afghanistan's exit from international isolation and its further integration into global political and economic processes, and will open up new opportunities for humanitarian support to the Afghan population," the diplomatic service emphasized.

The ministry also expects this move to facilitate the promotion of inter-Afghan reconciliation and to contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the country.

Taliban returned to rule Afghanistan in August 2021 after over two decades of war.