MOSCOW, Russia: This week, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan since they took control in 2021. Russia made this decision after removing the Taliban from its list of banned groups.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had accepted the new Afghan Ambassador, Gul Hassan Hassan, sent by the Taliban. The ministry said that recognizing the Taliban government would help build stronger cooperation between the two countries.

Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry called the move historic. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi welcomed the decision and said it could be a good example for other countries to follow.

The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 after U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan. Since then, they have been asking other countries to recognize their government. However, they have also enforced strict Islamic laws, which have kept many nations from fully supporting them.

Until now, no country had officially recognized the Taliban, although they have had diplomatic talks with several countries, including China and the United Arab Emirates.

One of the main reasons many countries have kept their distance is the Taliban's treatment of women. Despite promising a softer approach when they returned to power, the Taliban quickly brought in rules banning girls from going to school beyond sixth grade and stopping women from working in most jobs or going to public places like parks and gyms.

Recently, Russian officials have said it's essential to work with the Taliban to bring stability to Afghanistan. In April, Russia removed its ban on the group.

Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, said on state TV that President Vladimir Putin decided to recognize the Taliban based on advice from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He added that this step shows Russia truly wants to build strong and friendly ties with Afghanistan.