The United Arab Emirates has accepted the credentials of the Afghan Taliban ambassador

United Arab Emirates On Friday Afghanistan Of The Taliban has accepted the diplomatic credentials of the government’s ambassador, becoming the second country after China to do so.

According to the French news agency (AFP), after Kabul’s foreign ministry announced on social media that the new ambassador, Maulvi Badruddin Haqqani, had been welcomed at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich Gulf state issued a statement saying it was committed to ‘going the extra mile’ to help the Afghan people.

The UAE’s growing relationship with the Taliban government also includes the Emirati firm GAAC taking over the management of Afghan airports.

The process of recognizing the ambassador could be seen as a victory for Taliban officials, who are largely isolated internationally.

A high-level delegation of the Afghan Taliban meets with foreign ambassadors in Doha on October 12, 2021 (AFP)

The Taliban are not even recognized by the United Nations, partly because girls are denied access to secondary education.

“The world recognizes the problems Afghanistan has faced over the past few years,” a UAE official said in a statement sent to AFP late on Thursday. The decision to accept the credentials of the Ambassador of Afghanistan is a reaffirmation of our commitment to play our part in paving the way to help the people of Afghanistan.’

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The statement said the UAE intends to “provide humanitarian assistance through development and reconstruction projects” and support efforts to “reduce regional tensions and stabilize”.

The United Arab Emirates was one of three countries, along with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to recognize the former Taliban government, which was ousted in 2001 after a US-led invasion.

The UAE is one of a handful of countries where the Taliban has a diplomatic presence, including Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Nicaragua appointed a non-resident ambassador to Afghanistan in June.

Last week, in a further sign of UAE-Taliban relations, President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met the Afghan prime minister while he was being treated in an Emirati hospital.

In June, the UAE president hosted Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is wanted by US authorities and has a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.