Charlotte Greenfield
Taliban appoint first ambassador to UAE since occupation of Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD – Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Foreign Ministry has announced the appointment of the country’s first accredited ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, making it only the second country after China to host an ambassador of that level.
The UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Taliban regime has not been officially recognised by any foreign capital, and only Beijing has officially accepted its ambassador’s credentials.
The Taliban also has special envoys appointed as “charges d’affaires” to lead missions in several countries, including neighboring Pakistan.
The Taliban-led Foreign Ministry announced in a statement late on Wednesday that Mawlawi Badreddin Haqqani had been designated as the ministry’s ambassador and had submitted his letters of credentials to the UAE’s Assistant Minister for Protocol at the Foreign Ministry.
“The newly appointed Afghan ambassador will formally present his letters of credentials to the emir of the UAE in an official ceremony,” the ministry said.
The Taliban have economic ties with the UAE, which was awarded a contract to operate Kabul airport in 2022. Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has been designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States, met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi in June.
The Taliban entered the Afghan capital on August 15, 2021, with Afghan security forces built up with years of Western support collapsing and U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani in exile.
China and the UAE have not formally recognised the Taliban government or seen any official change in relations, but diplomats and international analysts say formally hosting an ambassador is a grey area of international diplomacy and could lead to stronger ties.
Many governments, particularly in the West, including Washington, say the Taliban’s path to formal recognition will be closed unless they reverse course on women’s rights and reopen high school and university to girls and women.
The Taliban say they respect rights according to their interpretation of Islamic law and that a lack of regulation and approval of the banking sector is hindering the economy.
This article has been generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.