Uzbekistan accepts Afghan ambassador in win for Taliban government

Uzbekistan has accepted an ambassador from Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, Kabul's foreign ministry said Thursday, a rare diplomatic triumph for the internationally isolated government.

The ambassador to Tashkent is only the third to be accredited abroad since the Taliban seized power in 2021, joining a pair already recognised in China and the United Arab Emirates.

No foreign country has yet officially recognised the Taliban government since it ousted the Western-backed administration and imposed an austere interpretation of Islamic law.

But three years into their rule they are making diplomatic inroads -- appearing for the first time at UN-brokered talks this summer and reaching out to neighbouring nations emphasising economic cooperation.

The envoy named to Uzbekistan was Abdul Ghafar Bahr, who formerly served as a judicial official in southern Kandahar province and Kabul.

At a ceremony where his credentials were accepted on Wednesday, "Bahr described the upgradation of bilateral relations as a pivotal phase, hoping for further progress", Taliban government foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi wrote in a post on X.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov said on the social media site the countries "share a common history and interests of prosperity that serve as an impetus for the development of cooperation ties in all areas".