Din Mohammad Hanif, the Taliban’s Minister of Economy, has once again called on the international community—including Japan—to formally recognize the group’s rule in Afghanistan.
In an interview with Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, Hanif claimed that “the security situation in Afghanistan is now stable” and encouraged Japanese companies to invest in the country. While Japan and other nations have criticized the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on women’s rights, Hanif dismissed such concerns, asserting that the world should “respect Afghanistan’s religious customs.”
On July 2, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban. While the group has cultivated ties with several neighboring states, including those in Central Asia, these relationships have yet to yield broader diplomatic recognition.
Hanif described Russia’s move as beneficial for the Taliban’s political and economic outlook, and voiced hope that Moscow would expand its investment in Afghanistan’s mineral extraction sector.
Meanwhile, Samiullah Ebrahimi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, confirmed that discussions are underway with Russia about sending Afghan workers abroad. Earlier reports from the Russian outlet Insider cited officials planning to deploy Afghan laborers to Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russian forces, where they would work in construction.
Ebrahimi denied those specific claims but said the Taliban may soon send agricultural workers to Russia.
