Afghanistan's ruling party, the Taliban, has been accredited with a diplomatic representative in Russia for the first time.

A spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry announced Saturday that the embassy in Moscow had been officially handed over to the control of its representative.

According to the statement, the former ambassador had to stop working. A diplomat named Jamal Gharwal is starting as charge d'affaires. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had recently confirmed the accreditation of a Taliban representative, according to the Interfax news agency.

Internationally, no state has yet recognized the Taliban government. The militant group had taken back power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Since then, the group has severely restricted human rights. Girls are still not allowed to attend secondary schools, almost eight months after their takeover.