New Friends

Russia’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday to remove groups from the country’s list of designated terrorist organizations, a move that will likely lead to Moscow normalizing relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan and establishing ties with Syria’s new leadership, the Moscow Times reported.

The lower house of parliament approved the legislation which will create a legal mechanism to delist organizations deemed to have ceased terrorism-related activities.

Under the new law, Russia’s prosecutor general can request a court ruling to remove a group’s terrorist designation if there is evidence it has “ceased” activities previously deemed “in support of terrorism.”

The bill now moves to the upper chamber for a final vote before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, who has referred to the Taliban as “allies in the fight against terrorism.”

The Taliban – labeled a terrorist organization by Russia in 2003 – has become a central focus of this shift.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US forces, Moscow has steadily expanded ties with the group. While delisting the Taliban would not amount to formal recognition of their government, it paves the way for deeper engagement, observers noted.

Russia’s neighbors in Central Asia have already taken similar steps, with Kazakhstan removing the Taliban from terror lists in late 2023.

The bill could also affect other groups, such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a key role in toppling Syria’s government under President Bashar Assad earlier this month.

Moscow – a backer of the ousted Syrian leader – has a series of strategic interests in Syria, where it maintains critical military facilities, including the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean coast, Reuters wrote.

Analysts said the move highlighted Moscow’s growing focus on countering security threats in the region.

The Taliban has pledged to eradicate Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K in Afghanistan, the group suspected of orchestrating a bloody terrorist attack in March at a concert hall near Moscow that killed 145 people.