MOSCOW — Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Oct 4 that a decision to remove the Taliban from a list of terrorist organisations had been "taken at the highest level", according to the state Tass news agency.

The decision needs to be followed up with various legal procedures in order to make it a reality, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, was quoted as saying.

Putin said in July that Russia considers Afghanistan's Taliban movement an ally in the fight against terrorism.

Russia has been slowly building ties with the Taliban since the militant group took power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war, but the movement is still officially outlawed in Russia.

No country has formally recognised the Taliban as the country's legitimate leadership, although China and the United Arab Emirates have accepted its ambassadors.

Russia added the Taliban to its list of terrorist organisations in 2003. Removing it would be an important step by Moscow towards normalising relations with Afghanistan.

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