Despite not being formally recognized by any country, the Taliban government of Afghanistan is now seeking to join the BRICS economic forum.
"Countries with major resources and the world's biggest economies are associated with the BRICS forum, especially Russia, India, and China," the Taliban government's deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said.
"Currently, we have good economic ties and commercial exchanges with them. We are keen to expand our relations and participate in the economic forums of the BRICS," he said.
While the Taliban government has not been formally recognized, China and Russia have come close - given they have both hosted Taliban delegations for talks, and they maintain embassies in Kabul even after the US-NATO pullout of August 2021.
The Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has further said it hopes to be invited to the BRICS summit to be held on October 22-24 in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan, but that there's "no information so far" on whether the Taliban can attend.
BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has recently inducted new members Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia.
China and Russia have remained the two major regional Asian powers who show willingness to invest in Afghanistan, and potentially tap its significant natural resources. Both have also welcomed the Taliban's fight against rival extremist terror group, the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K).
But the Afghan Taliban's formal inclusion in BRICS might prove an embarrassment for the bloc at a moment it is presenting itself as a counterbalance to the unipolar tendencies of the United States.
Many regional countries have on a de facto level recognized the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan, but have not extended full diplomatic relations in an official capacity.
The Taliban in BRICS would present Washington with 'low-hanging fruit' which could be used to denigrate BRICS on a world stage - especially in light of US anger at growing China, Russia, India cooperation and these countries' refusal to condemn Russian military action in Ukraine.