Afghanistan’s Taliban-led foreign ministry said it had appointed its first accredited ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, the second country to accept an envoy at that level after China.
The UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Any foreign capital has not officially recognized the Taliban’s government, and only Beijing has formally accepted the credentials of an ambassador.
The Taliban have also sent envoys to several countries, including neighboring Pakistan, to head missions as “chargé d’affaires.”
In a statement late on Wednesday, the Taliban-run foreign ministry said that Mawlawi Badreddin Haqqani had been nominated as its ambassador and presented his credentials to the UAE’s foreign ministry’s assistant undersecretary for protocol affairs.
“The newly accredited Ambassador of Afghanistan will soon formally present his credentials to the Emir of the United Arab Emirates during (an) official ceremony,” the ministry said.
Taliban deepen ties amid diplomatic grey area
The Taliban share economic ties with the UAE, which won contracts to run operations at Kabul airport in 2022. Interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, designated as a “specially designated global terrorist” by the US, met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi in June.
The Taliban entered the Afghan capital on Aug. 15, 2021, as the Afghan security forces, set up with years of Western support, disintegrated and US-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled.
Though China and the UAE have not formally recognized the Taliban administration or confirmed any official change in relations, diplomats and international analysts say that formally accepting an ambassador is a grey area of global diplomacy that could constitute upgraded ties.
Many governments, especially Western nations including Washington, have said the path to any formal recognition of the Taliban will be stuck until they change course on women’s rights and re-open high schools and universities to girls and women.
The Taliban say they respect rights by their interpretation of Islamic law and that restrictions on its banking sector and a lack of recognition are hindering its economy.
