Russian Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk's visit to Afghanistan was the first official visit to the country controlled by the Taliban group with so many officials from the Russian Federation.
In July 2025, Russia officially recognized the Taliban government, becoming the first UN member state to take this step. China is in very close contact with the Taliban, hosting diplomats and informally developing economic cooperation and the fight against terrorism. For China, having a loyal government of the country bordering the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is extremely important in the anti-terrorism plane. Uyghur separatists and armed gangs of Islamic extremists have already tried to infiltrate this Chinese region, where mostly Uyghur Muslims live, from Afghanistan.
For Russia, cooperation with the Taliban is extremely important, as the group controls almost all of Afghanistan, thus ensuring safe logistics and mineral development for investors.
Earlier this month, Alexei Overchuk and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaki met in Moscow, where they held talks on cooperation in trade, energy, investment and transport communications, including plans related to the North-South International Transport Corridor.
The Taliban authorities are also preparing a broader document on economic cooperation with Russia. According to the report, a meeting chaired by Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Bardar on November 3 reviewed investment opportunities and progress on bilateral agreements. Proposed areas of cooperation include electricity, transportation, mining, agriculture, healthcare, higher education, telecommunications and information technology.