KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Afghanistan’s government said on Thursday that Russia had become the first country to officially recognise its rule, calling it a “brave decision”.

The announcement came after a meeting between Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, in Kabul.

“This brave decision will be an example for others… Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone,” Muttaqi said in a video of the meeting posted on X.

“Russia is the first country which has officially recognised the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP, using the government’s name for their administration.

Moscow’s special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told the Russia’s state news agency Ria Novosti that the government had “recognised” the Taliban government.

Russia’s foreign affairs ministry also confirmed the news to the TASS news agency.

Multiple other states, including China and Pakistan, have Taliban ambassadors in their capitals, but have not officially recognised the Islamic Emirate.