Alwaght- With return of the Taliban to rule in August 2021, the debate about how the world community should deal with the new government of Afghanistan started.
Amid the world demands from Kabul about the rights of minorities and human rights in general and the Taliban's insistence on maintaining its ideological principles in its governance, winning international acceptance has become a key challenge to the Afghanistan government.
In the meantime, all doors have not been closed to the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been able to find solutions to ease its international isolation by pursuing diplomacy and even behind-the-scenes deals.
Recently, developments have been in the making, showing that some countries are taking steps towards interaction with the Taliban.
Last week, the Taliban published a statement, announcing that Molawi Badraddin Haqani was appointed Afghanistan’s ambassador to the UAE and has handed over his credentials to the Emirati deputy foreign minister.
This is the most significant diplomatic achievement for the Taliban since it appointed an ambassador to China in January, making the UAE the first country in West Asia to initiate official political ties with Kabul.
By confirming the receipt of the credentials of the Taliban representative, Abu Dhabi used the term "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan" instead of the term "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" which is used by the current Kabul government.
Although China and the UAE have not officially announced the recognition of the Taliban government, diplomats and international analysts believe that accepting an official ambassador is an important step in the development of bilateral relations.
Taliban-UAE relations have long been a matter of debate, although this Arab monarchy was one of the three countries that recognized the first Taliban government in the late 1990s, but after the events of September 11, 2001 and the fall of the Kabul regime at the hands of US-led coalition forces, The situation changed. However, with the return of the Taliban to rule, the equation again turned to restoration of relations and the rulers of Abu Dhabi have reviewed their approach to the Taliban.
The Taliban have earlier sent representatives to several countries, including Pakistan, to take the missions and duties of the ambassador with the post of Charge d'affaires, but these countries have not yet agreed to the Taliban's request for establishing open and official diplomatic ties.
In most countries, former diplomats of the Afghan government are still working, and while the Taliban has declared that their activities as illegitimate, the group's push to take control of the country's embassies in other countries has proven unsuccessful so far.
The UN says it is almost impossible to recognize the Taliban government with the restrictions on women and girls still in place. The Taliban says it respects women's rights under Islamic law, and restrictions on the banking sector and lack of government recognition are hampering its economic plans. Also, the international community ties any recognition of the Taliban rule to formation of an inclusive government covering all ethnic and political groups. But the Taliban are yet to meet this condition.
In such a situation, the Taliban government has tried other options and based on this, it has turned to establishing bilateral relations with regional and extra-regional powers.
Taliban-UAE mutual need for each other
Undoubtedly, the UAE and the Taliban have defined goals and plans for themselves behind the establishment of diplomatic relations and intend to achieve them through cooperation.
The Taliban signed contracts with the UAE to carry out operations at the Kabul airport in 2022, which stood as a prelude to their economic relations. Also, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister of the Taliban government, who is specifically designated by the US as a terrorist, met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of the UAE, in Abu Dhabi in June.
This recognition may be part of a broader strategy aimed at securing the UAE's interests in the region. In the last decade, the UAE has tried to take the leadership and management of political developments in West Asia by increasing its weight in regional equations, and cooperation with the Taliban government can be evaluated in this regard.
Afghanistan affairs expert Ismail Baqeri in an interview about aims of Abu Dhabi behind cooperation with the Taliban told Alwaght that Emirates and the Taliban need each other and these political interactions are part of bilateral relations and another part is an agenda dictated by the US to the UAE. The Taliban government intends to be recognized by the international community and feels that through communication with the countries of the region, especially the UAE, it can make its way to this objective.
"Another matter is the needs of the Taliban to attract Emirates to the economic sector of Afghanistan. Emirates plays a central role in Afghanistan's airports and air bases, and Abu Dhabi has the control and management of these sectors. The United Arab Emirates , due to its vast financial resources, may have economic and political motivations behind accepting the credentials of the Taliban ambassador, as the presence in Afghanistan opens investment opportunities for Abu Dhabi in a country that has large natural resources and Emirates can, in such a situation, through investment and infrastructure projects increase its influence in this Central Asian country. On the other hand, United Arab Emirates has built an international airport in the Khost region in the north of Nangarhar province, and the Taliban's interior minister has had meetings with Emirati officials. Apparently, Emirates along with other powers want to work with the Taliban to deter Daesh (ISIS) in Afghanistan," Baqeri added.
Commenting on the political drivers of accepting the Taliban's ambassador, Baqeri said: "Accepting the Taliban's envoy is a kind of recognition of the government of this group, and the Arab countries are trying to provide the necessary platforms for the recognition of the Taliban so that the international community finally accepts this government."
Baqeri continued that competition with other Arab countries is also a driving force behind Abu Dhabi move. He held that Emirates does not want Qatar to be the undisputed actor in Afghanistan affairs and is trying to turn into a key actor by overtaking Doha. Also, it seems that Saudi Arabia and the US are advocating the Emirati policy in Afghanistan to build access to and sway over its leaders under the guise of economic assistance. Additionally, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are working to gain influence in Afghanistan to establish religious schools, known as madrassas in Pakistan and other countries, in order to align the Afghans with their policies.
