Taliban appoints ambassador to UAE for first time since taking control of Afghanistan

The Taliban-run Afghan Foreign Ministry has announced the appointment of its first ambassador to the UAE, the second country to accept a Taliban envoy at this level after China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued late Wednesday that Mawlawi Badruddin Haqqani had been appointed as its ambassador to Abu Dhabi.

"The newly accredited Afghan ambassador will formally present his credentials to the President of the UAE soon during an official ceremony," she added.

For its part, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that Saif Abdullah Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Protocol Affairs, received a copy of the credentials of the Afghan ambassador, who previously held the position of Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghan Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The Taliban has economic ties with the UAE, which won contracts to operate operations at Kabul airport in 2022.

On June 4, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani in the capital, Abu Dhabi.

The two sides discussed "strengthening friendship and cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to develop them in a way that achieves common interests and contributes to the stability of the region."

On August 16, the UAE President also visited the head of the Afghan interim government, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who was receiving treatment in a hospital in the UAE.

No foreign capital has officially recognized the Taliban government, but only Beijing has formally accepted the credentials of an ambassador from the government.

The Taliban has sent envoys to several countries, including neighboring Pakistan, to serve as "chargé d'affaires" at the head of missions.

Although China and the UAE have not officially recognized the Taliban government or confirmed any formal change in relations, diplomats and international analysts say that officially accepting an ambassador is an ambiguous step in international diplomacy and could represent an improvement in relations.

The Taliban entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, on August 15, 2021, following the disintegration of Afghan security forces, which had been built up with Western support over the years, and the flight of Ashraf Ghani, the former US-backed president.

Source: Agencies