Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, said during a meeting with representatives of countries participating in the “International Traditional Wrestling Festival” that sports can help expand the group’s relations with regional countries.
He described cultural ties between Afghanistan and these countries as “historic.”
Muttaqi also claimed that traditional sports in Afghanistan have developed since the Taliban returned to power. He added that sports can serve as a platform to strengthen diplomatic engagement.
The festival was held over three days in Kabul, with 60 athletes participating from Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Türkiye.
Some analysts believe that amid ongoing restrictions and a lack of international recognition, the Taliban’s efforts to use sports as a tool of engagement cannot mask what they describe as the group’s “repressive and isolationist” nature.
