Five years after return, Afghan Taliban government builds diplomacy

Afghanistan's flag flies over the Afghan embassy in Moscow, as the Taliban marks five years in power with a push to expand international ties despite multiple constraints. (AFP pic)KABUL: Five years after returning to power, Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have built working relationships with a slate of countries, despite a lack of formal recognition.Russia remains the only nation to officially recognise the Taliban government, and many Western countries have demanded to see domestic reforms on human rights before considering doing the same.But many states are nevertheless engaging with Afghanistan's leaders -- including Britain and European Union members -- driven largely by practical considerations.Beyond the high walls of the foreign ministry in central Kabul stand embassies, rows of travel agencies, and an airline billboard promising: "We're all connected."While few Afghans have the means to go abroad, their government "seeks relations with all countries", according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.The authorities' diplomatic strategy has involved hosting envoys in Kabul -- and frequently publishing the photos -- including those from China, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Britain."The countries of the region and our neighbouring states have particular importance, because our economic ties and interests are closely linked," Mujahid said last month.This year officials from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan gathered in Kabul, as landlocked Central Asia seeks trade routes through Afghanistan to access the sea beyond.Erica Gaston, who was part of a team mandated by the UN Security Council to identify strategies for addressing the challenges in Afghanistan, said regional nations were "always more pragmatic" in dealing with the Taliban authorities."You had much more receptivity among regional member states to say, 'this is the reality that we have in our region and engagement is inevitable'," said Gaston, who heads the Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace Programme at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research.'Impenetrable' issuesAs well as coordinating on security, Taliban officials have been touting cross-border infrastructure projects to boost the country's fragile economy while Afghans are hit hard by international aid cuts.Seeing potential in untapped natural resources, the government has expanded… Only Russia officially recognizes the Taliban government, with many Western countries demanding domestic reforms on human rights before considering doing the same.