Has Uzbekistan officially recognized the Taliban ambassador?

The interim government of Afghanistan announced that Uzbekistan has become the third country, after the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan, to officially recognize the Taliban-appointed ambassador. "Tolonews" reported this development, which was later confirmed to QALAMPIR.UZ by Behzod Hidoyatov, the press secretary to the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan.

Zakir Jalali, the director of the Third Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Taliban’s interim government, stated that Abdulgafar Tirawi has been introduced as the official ambassador of Afghanistan to Uzbekistan.

According to the report, during his visit to Kabul, Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov mentioned that the Afghan ambassador had been approved and that a "positive decision" had been made regarding his arrival in Tashkent.

Jalali further noted that both parties have agreed on this matter, and the newly appointed ambassador is expected to commence his duties in Tashkent soon.

“They [Uzbekistan and other countries] approach this to gain benefits and avoid harm. These countries, which are working to establish relations with Afghanistan, have their interests, and Afghanistan also has its own,” said Afghan political scientist Abdul Shukor Dadras.

Another political analyst, Baqer Sair, told Tolonews that this move suggests that the Taliban is gaining legitimacy.

“The current interim government is not only trying to ensure that countries recognize them in practice or accept their political representatives but also to create a conducive internal and international environment for achieving official legitimacy,” said the analyst.

Political scientist Mohammad Aslam Danishmal added that Afghanistan should continue on this path to emerge from its current state of isolation, present itself to the world as an honorable and prestigious country, and move forward.

However, according to a QALAMPIR.UZ source within Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a final decision on the official recognition of the ambassador has not yet been made. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue an official statement once the situation becomes clear.