Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, arrived in Tatarstan on Wednesday, 14 May, at the head of a high-level delegation to participate in the 16th Kazan Economic Forum.

According to a statement from Baradar’s office, the delegation is scheduled to attend various sessions of the forum and hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event.

The forum, which commenced on Tuesday, will run through Sunday, in the city of Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan.

Baradar’s participation comes shortly after Russia suspended its designation of the Taliban as a terrorist organisation, a move that signals a shift in Moscow’s engagement with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Rustam Khabibullin, head of the Russian Business Centre in Afghanistan, noted that Baradar is the most senior Taliban official to visit Russia since the group took control of Afghanistan in 2021.

The official Kazan Forum website stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in the forum’s continued role as a platform for constructive dialogue and enhanced cooperation among participating countries and peoples.

The Kazan Forum, a major international economic platform, focuses on strengthening economic relations between Russia and member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), with a growing emphasis on investment and development partnerships.