Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday, August 21, that it has officially recognised a Taliban diplomat as the Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghan Embassy in the country.

The ministry stated that the appointment of Mohammad Rahman Rahmani is significant for the development of relations between the two nations.

In a statement, the ministry mentioned that Alibek Bakayev, Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister, met the "head of the Afghan Embassy" in the city of Astana on Wednesday.

The statement did not refer to the "Islamic Emirate," the title the Taliban use for their regime.

Bakayev said, "Afghanistan's active presence among regional countries will lead to the revival of its economy and stability. This will improve the situation of the Afghan people and contribute to peace and security in the region."

The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasised that the official recognition of the Taliban representative as Chargé d'Affaires is aimed at "enhancing trade, economic, and humanitarian cooperation between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan”.

Last month, Turkmenistan, another key Central Asian country, also accepted a Taliban diplomat as the Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat.
Russia and Central Asian countries have been at the forefront of expanding relations with the Taliban regime in the region.

In June, Kazakhstan's President announced that the country had removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist groups to facilitate economic relations with Afghanistan under Taliban rule.