New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) As the Taliban administration enters its sixth year at power in Afghanistan, four countries have so far accepted the credentials of its diplomatic representatives at the Ambassadorial level, though apart from Russia, which officially recognised the regime in July 2025, no other country has formally accorded this official status to the current government in Kabul, as per reports.
Yet, stressed Tolo News on Monday, regional countries have expanded their political and economic relations with Afghanistan over the past five years.
The four countries that have so far accepted the credentials of its Ambassadors at the official level are China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Russia, which has granted recognition, it added.
Meanwhile, five foreign Ambassadors – beginning with China on September 13, 2023, followed by Uzbekistan (November 2024), the United Arab Emirates (November 2025), Qatar (December 2025), and Belarus (November 2026) – have also presented their credentials or copies of their credentials to ministers and senior officials, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, said the report further.
In missions abroad, Taliban representative Bilal Karimi presented credentials to China’s President Xi Jinping that were accepted at the Ambassadorial level on January 30, 2024. In August of the same year, Badruddin Haqqani presented his credentials to the President of the UAE, while Abdul Ghaffar Bahr’s credentials were accepted two months later by Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.
In Russia, which still remains the only country to grant official recognition to the regime, Gul Hassan Hassan had presented his credentials to President Vladimir Putin on January 15 this year.
However, several countries have expanded their political and economic relations with Kabul over the past five years, the report stated.
"The main conditions set by countries for recognising the Islamic Emirate have so far largely centred on issues such as the formation of an inclusive government, respect for human rights, and fulfilment of the Doha commitments," University lecturer Jannat Fahim Chakari told Tolo News.
Commonly known as the Doha Agreement after Qatar’s capital where it was penned, the "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan" was signed on February 29, 2020 by US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representative Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and laid out the framework for the withdrawal of NATO-led troops.
Meanwhile, in Kabul, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, while commenting on diplomatic relations, reportedly said that the influence of Western countries, particularly the United States, had prevented the formal expansion of relations between the Islamic Emirate and countries in the region.
Incidentally, India and Afghanistan share a historically close relationship built on civilisational ties, trade, cultural exchanges, and strong people-to-people contacts. Over the past two decades, New Delhi has emerged as one of Kabul’s largest development partners, investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and capacity-building projects such as the Afghan Parliament building, the Salma (Afghan-India Friendship) Dam, and the Zaranj-Delaram highway.
Currently, India maintains a policy of pragmatic engagement with Afghanistan under the Taliban administration without formally recognising the regime. India has continued to provide humanitarian assistance, including food, medicines, and development support, while maintaining diplomatic channels through its mission in Kabul. Both sides have also expanded cooperation in trade, healthcare, agriculture, and regional connectivity. India views a stable Afghanistan as important for regional security and economic links with Central Asia, while Afghanistan sees India as a significant development and trade partner.
--IANS
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