UAE accepts Taliban diplomat as Afghan ambassador

ISLAMABAD/DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates has accepted the credentials of a Taliban-appointed diplomat as the ambassador of Afghanistan, a UAE official said on Thursday (Aug 22), making the Gulf state the second country after China to accept a Taliban envoy at that level.

Taliban diplomats have controlled Afghanistan's embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai since at least last year, foreign diplomats have said, though apparently without formal acceptance as Afghan diplomats.

The UAE official told Reuters that accepting "the credentials of the Ambassador of Afghanistan" reaffirms the Gulf state's determination to build bridges and help Afghans, including through development and reconstruction projects.

The official did not say whether the UAE, among three nations to have recognised the 1996-2001 Taliban government, now recognised the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

No other government has officially recognised the Taliban government since it swept back to power three years ago and until now only Beijing had formally accepted the credentials of an ambassador.

However, Taliban appointees are running diplomatic missions in several countries including in neighbouring Pakistan.

The Taliban-run foreign ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday that Mawlawi Badreddin Haqqani had been nominated as its ambassador and presented his credentials to the UAE's foreign ministry's assistant undersecretary for protocol affairs.

"The newly accredited Ambassador of Afghanistan will soon formally present his credentials to the Emir of the United Arab Emirates during (an) official ceremony," the ministry said.

The Taliban share economic ties with the UAE, which won contracts to run operations at Kabul airport in 2022.