In Beijing, President Xi Jinping, along with the Foreign Minister Wang Yi, accepted the credentials of Bilal Karimi, together with new ambassadors from 41 countries. They wished success to the diplomat from the Taliban* in his work, Sputnik-Afghanistan reports.
Earlier, Beijing had been building diplomatic relations with Kabul through its charge d'affaires, Seyed Mohiddin Sadat.
The official spokesperson for the Taliban*, Abdul-Kahar Balhi, confirmed the insight that he has been appointed as the head of the movement's mission in Beijing, as previously reported by Sputnik-Afghanistan.
Thus, China leads in the level of diplomatic relations with the Taliban: both sides now have ambassadors with the highest accreditation.
China's remaining step is the official recognition by the head of the state of the government formed by the movement.
In September 2023, China also became the first country to officially appoint a new ambassador to Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country. Zhao Xin now represents China's interests in Kabul.
At that time, he was received by the acting Prime Minister of the Taliban*, Mohammad Hasan Akhund, in the presence of the acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaki.
It is known that other countries also maintain contacts with the Taliban and have their diplomatic missions in Kabul, accrediting envoys for the banned movement. For example, in March 2022, Russia accredited the first Afghan diplomat sent by the Taliban government.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 31, 2024