Senior Tajik Delegation Meets with Taliban Officials in Kabul
A high-level Tajik delegation met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban administration, during an official visit to Kabul. According to informed sources, the discussions focused primarily on improving bilateral relations, addressing border security concerns, and expanding trade cooperation between Kabul and Dushanbe.
Khalil Ahmad Nadim, a political analyst, told media outlets that the visit could benefit Tajikistan and offered a platform to discuss economic and security matters. He added that the possibility of formally handing over Afghanistan’s embassy in Dushanbe to the Taliban administration may also have been raised during the talks.
This marks the first time a senior Tajik delegation’s visit to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has been publicly reported. Previously, Taliban-appointed governor of Balkh, Yusuf Wafa, traveled to Dushanbe to improve bilateral relations. Some analysts interpret these exchanges as signs of a renewed effort by both sides to ease past tensions and address border security issues.
Jawad Hosseini, an international relations expert, noted that the presence of Tajik security officials in the delegation signals both countries’ willingness to resolve security issues through dialogue and cooperation. Aziz Maharaj, another international relations analyst, believes that Taliban officials’ visit to Tajikistan may have increased Dushanbe’s interest in engaging with the Taliban-led administration. He also suggested that Russia’s recent stance toward the Taliban may have influenced this development.
The visit comes amid relatively low-level ties between the Taliban administration and Tajikistan over the past four years compared to other northern neighbors. However, informed sources have said that the formal transfer of Afghanistan’s embassy in Dushanbe to the Taliban administration was one of the key topics under discussion during the visit.
