INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Taliban diplomat will on Tuesday assume the role as Afghanistan's ambassador to Russia, the Islamist group's first top envoy to Moscow
since seizing power in 2021, Russian state media reported.Gul Hassan, a former consul in Pakistan, arrived in the capital earlier on Tuesday
and will soon "take up his duties," the state-run TASS news agency said.An official at the Afghan embassy told AFP that Hassan "was due to
arrive today."Moscow has expanded its economic and diplomatic ties with the Islamist group since it returned to power in Afghanistan
following a 20-year insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.Several other countries including China and the United Arab
Emirates have also accepted a Taliban-appointed envoy, though no state has yet officially recognized them as Afghanistan's lawful
government.The Taliban seized power after American forces supporting the country's internationally recognized government pulled out in
2021.Moscow has taken steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities since then, removing their designation as a "terrorist
organization" in April and inviting them to official events.Russia had already accepted a Taliban-appointed charge d'affaires in 2022.Russia
was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, and has announced plans to use
Afghanistan as a transit hub for gas heading to Southeast Asia.In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban "allies in
the fight against terrorism."A Message from The Moscow Times:Dear readers,We are facing unprecedented challenges
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