Belarus strengthens cooperation with the Taliban: Ambassador from Minsk presents credentials to the Prime Minister of Afghanistan

The Belarusian ambassador has presented his credentials to the Prime Minister of Afghanistan, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry announced. The ministry, however, made no mention of the fact that Mohammad Hassan Akhund is a co-founder and leader of the Taliban movement, as well as a former field commander of the Afghan mujahideen.

On November 1, Alexander Ogorodnikov—who serves concurrently as the Belarusian ambassador to both Uzbekistan and Afghanistan—presented his credentials to Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund.

“During the conversation that followed the formal ceremony, the parties discussed potential avenues for developing Belarusian-Afghan cooperation, including the organization of joint initiatives in the near future,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry stated.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, following the withdrawal of American forces. The regime has imposed strict religious rules; women have been almost entirely stripped of their rights to education, employment, and freedom of movement, and are required to keep their bodies and faces completely covered. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has described this situation as “gender apartheid.”

In several countries, the Taliban is designated as a terrorist organization.

It has recently emerged that Belarus is selling weaponry and drones to the Taliban. According to sources, India acts as an intermediary in these transactions, while Russia coordinates the shipments. This cooperation began following the signing of an agreement on military-technical collaboration between Russia and the Taliban earlier this spring.

In recent times, the Belarusian authorities have been engaging actively with the Taliban. In August of this year, a 13-member delegation led by the acting Minister of Agriculture of Afghanistan visited Belarus.

Source:   https://ru.belsat.eu/96249560/belarus-usilivaet-sotrudnichestvo-s-talibami