Taliban delegation visit to Belarus

A 13-member Taliban delegation visited Belarus to discuss industrial, technological, and agricultural cooperation. The delegation toured various facilities, including the BelAZ heavy machinery plant and the Slutz cheese-making plant. While the official focus was on food production and machinery, analysts noted the visit could involve seeking assistance for maintaining military equipment seized in 2021.

Following the visit, Belarusian authorities reportedly censored media coverage and images of the delegation from websites and social media. This censorship followed the circulation of photos showing the all-male delegation interacting with female employees at the Slutz plant. Reports indicated that while local images circulated initially, Afghan media published versions where Belarusian women had been digitally removed.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya criticized the government for hypocrisy, noting the contradiction in labeling domestic civil society as ‘extremiști’ and ‘teroriști’ while maintaining active contact with the Taliban.