Afghanistan's First Ambassador to Abu Dhabi: Why the UAE Is Embracing the Taliban

In contrast to its approach with most Islamic governments, especially those born from the Arab Spring, the UAE is now working to strengthen its ties with the Afghan Taliban government, which took power following the end of the 20-year U.S. occupation.

On August 30, 2021, the United States completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, following its invasion shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Washington had labeled the Taliban as supporters of “terrorism.”

Significant Achievement

“The United Arab Emirates [..] accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, the biggest diplomatic coup for Afghanistan’s rulers who are not officially recognized as the country’s legitimate government,” the Associated Press (AP) reported on August 21, 2024.

The report noted that Abu Dhabi’s move appeared to be further evidence of the international divide on how to engage with the Taliban, which is not officially recognized as the legitimate government of the country, referring to the lack of recognition by the United Nations and Western nations.

The new ambassador, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, is not related to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Afghan Interior Minister and leader of the powerful Haqqani network, who “is wanted by the United States for his involvement in deadly attacks and is also on several sanctions lists,” as per AP.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the delivery of Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai’s credentials to Assistant Foreign Minister Saif Abdullah al-Shamsi, according to a post on X on August 21, 2024.

Stanikzai described the relations between Afghanistan and the UAE as “historic” and expressed gratitude and satisfaction for the continued cooperation and assistance from the UAE.

Al-Shamsi stated that the UAE’s relations with Afghanistan are “important” and expressed hope for further strengthening of bilateral ties with the appointment of Afghanistan’s new ambassador.

On August 17, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan visited Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who was receiving treatment at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, to check on his health.

The diplomatic representation of the Taliban government in Abu Dhabi also follows a visit by Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who met with the UAE President on June 4, 2024.

WAM reported that during the meeting at Qasr al-Shati (Palace) in Abu Dhabi, bin-Zayed and Haqqani discussed “enhancing friendship and cooperation between the two countries and ways to develop it to achieve mutual interests and contribute to regional stability.”

The discussions covered several areas, particularly economic and developmental issues and support for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan.

This was not the first such meeting; in December 2022, President UAE’s MBZ had previously hosted Taliban Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob in Abu Dhabi, where the focus was on restoring operational security at Afghan airports.

Multiple Objectives

Regarding the motives behind the UAE's efforts to solidify its relationship with the Taliban government, a report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in January 2023 explained that since August 2021, the UAE has recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as the de facto government of the country.

The report noted that Abu Dhabi saw this situation (the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan) as an opportunity to enhance its position as a valuable partner to Western powers, alongside its “humanitarian role.”

Politically, the UAE has adopted a balanced and sensitive approach. While it hosted former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on its soil, its initial statements on the Taliban's takeover in 2021 referred to the brotherly Afghan people, according to the American center.

This effort was evident in the aid the UAE provided for evacuating foreign diplomats and 28,000 Afghan citizens when the Taliban regained control of the country, as well as food and relief supplies.

In this context, UAE political analyst Amjad Taha stated that “Abu Dhabi’s engagement with the Taliban is based on political realism and the correct approach to fostering dialogue for achieving security, stability, development, and respect for humanity and rights.”

Taha told the BBC on June 14, 2024, that “the UAE deals with the Taliban realistically, as the U.S. and other governments do in Tehran, Syria, or the West Bank, for a better future for the people.”

“Afghanistan has a crucial geopolitical location, serving as a bridge connecting the East with the West and Central Asia, thus offering opportunities for economic investments that benefit the Afghan people.”

In September 2022, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority won a contract to provide passenger and technical services for four international airports in Afghanistan, including Kabul, defeating competitors from Qatar and Turkiye.

Reuters reported on July 8, 2022, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, that “the UAE is keen to counter the influence in Afghanistan of Qatar, by managing Afghan airports.”

The Taliban, which returned to power after 20 years, is currently facing a severe financial crisis, partly due to the U.S. freezing Afghan assets and funds previously held by the ousted government.

Given these circumstances, the UAE is keen to replicate its previous experience with influence in Afghanistan, having been one of the countries that recognized the Taliban government in the 1990s.

Expanding Influence

A study published by the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington on January 31, 2023, noted that “the current UAE engagement with the Taliban shouldn’t be considered an anomaly. The UAE seems to want to keep channels of communication open with the Taliban and cultivate its influence, particularly with the young and emerging members in the movement who have taken a more moderate tone on social issues than their older and more rigid peers.”

The study highlighted “the first official visit of the Taliban’s acting defense minister, Mullah Yaqoob (also the son of former Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Omar), and Anas Haqqani (the younger brother of the Taliban’s interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani) to Abu Dhabi in December 2022.”

The study, also, explained that “since Mullah Yaqoob and the Haqqani faction within the Taliban are largely responsible for security in the war-torn country, outside engagement with them reflects an Emirati interests-based calculus.”

From the Taliban’s perspective, building trust with UAE authorities could pave the way for treating the Taliban not only as a reality but as the legitimate rulers of the country, as political recognition remains the ultimate goal for this regime, according to the study.

“Additionally, it can convince Afghan businessmen and members of the diaspora residing in the UAE to return and invest in Afghanistan. An estimated 150,000 Afghan citizens live in the UAE, and more than 500 Afghan businessmen have invested a total $4 billion in the UAE.”

The same study pointed out that “the top goal of the visit and meetings held by Mullah Yaqoob and Anas Haqqani with Afghan expatriates seems to be to entice some of these wealthy Afghans to return and invest in Afghanistan.”

The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington’s study noted that the pragmatism of both the UAE and the Taliban drives their engagement, but the UAE is also keen to gauge different officials within the movement while leveraging the economic value of Afghan expatriates residing in the UAE.

“The Emirati authorities indeed are mindful that this point of leverage is unique to them, and probably no longer shared by their Qatari counterparts, making the Emiratis particularly politically relevant with any ruler in Afghanistan,” the study concluded.

The Taliban has managed a political office in Qatar for years, where senior leaders frequently meet with foreign officials, given that Doha has been facilitating the Afghan file since 2013 and continues to do so.