KABUL: Uzbekistan has accepted an ambassador from Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, Kabul’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, a rare diplomatic success for the internationally isolated government.
The ambassador to Tashkent is only the third to be accredited abroad since the Taliban seized power in 2021, joining a pair already recognized in the United Arab Emirates and China.
The new ambassador to Tashkent, Abdul Ghafar Bahr, previously served as a judicial official in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and Kabul. His appointment follows the recognition of Taliban diplomats by China and the United Arab Emirates.
The envoy’s credentials were accepted by Uzbek officials at a ceremony on Wednesday, where Bahr described the event as a “pivotal phase” in the enhancement of bilateral relations between the two countries. He expressed hopes for further cooperation in his remarks, according to Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, who shared details on the social media platform X.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov also acknowledged the new ambassador on social media, emphasizing that the two nations “share a common history and interests of prosperity” that would drive future cooperation in various fields.
Afghanistan and Uzbekistan solidified economic ties on the same day by signing a 10-year agreement worth approximately $1 billion. The deal, involving the exploration and extraction of a natural gas block in northern Afghanistan, was made between Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and an Uzbek company.
While no foreign country has officially recognized the Taliban government since they ousted the Western-backed administration in 2021, the Taliban have been striving to strengthen international relations, particularly with neighboring nations. They have engaged in economic and diplomatic talks with regional partners and, this past summer, made their first appearance at UN-brokered discussions.
