Explained: Here's A List Of Unrecognised Countries In The World And Why They're Overlooked

In his first major appearance since assuming the chair, Taliban's acting prime minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund asked the global community especially Islamic countries to grant legitimacy to Afghanistan's new government, insisting it has met all conditions required for the official recognition.

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, no country has officially recognised their rule. During their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, only three countries Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and UAE had recognised their rule. Now as the country suffers from an extreme financial crisis mounted with a humanitarian crisis, international recognition is extremely important for the Taliban.

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International recognition is extremely important for a country to exist properly in the political atmosphere of today¡¯s world. No recognition leads to no or less diplomatic relations which can lead to problematic trade, communication and exchanges.

Despite this, many countries exist today which are not recognised by the majority of the world's countries. They are either totally not recognised or recognised as a part of some other country.

Here is a list of few such countries:

Northern Cyprus

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It is an independent state in the northeast of Cyprus which declared independence from Cyprus in 1983. while the UN recognises it as a part of Cyprus, it is only recognised by Turkey.

Cyprus island had been under British control since 1878. The island had a majority of Christians mainly Greek Cypriots and a minority Muslims mainly Turk Cypriots. Following the British exit, tensions existed between two communities, since Greek Cypriots wanted to accede to Greece while Turks wanted partition of the island. In an attempt to merge Cyprus with Greece, Greek Cypriot nationalists and parts of the Greek military junta tried a coup on July 15, 1974.

This action sparked the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on July 20, which resulted in the conquest of the present-day area of Northern Cyprus and the displacement of nearly 150,000 Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In 1983, a unilateral declaration proclaimed a separate Turkish Cypriot state in the north.

The Republic of Cyprus is de facto divided into two parts: the area under the Republic's effective control, which covers about 59 percent of the island's area and is located in the south and west, and the north, which is administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and covers about 36 percent of the island's area. The UN buffer zone covers about 4% of the island's total surface area. The international world regards the northern portion of the island as Republic of Cyprus territory that has been occupied by Turkish forces.

Northern Cyprus is dependent on Turkey for defence, Finance, International Relations. Northern Cyprus has been granted observer status by OIC and ECO.

Taiwan

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Officially known as the Republic of China, it is a small island state in the northeast of China. The state is recognised by 13 UN states, while it maintains unofficial relations with almost 50 countries including the US. While China considers it a part of the country, it wants to be recognised as an independent state.

The Republic of China, founded in 1912 and based primarily in Taiwan since 1949, enjoyed majority recognition as China's sole government until the late 1950s and early 1960s, when a majority of UN member states began to shift recognition to the People's Republic of China. The ROC was the sole representation of China at the United Nations until 1971, when it was agreed to provide this recognition to the PRC instead. Since then it is not recognised by either the UN nor by the majority of nations.

Kosovo

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It is a small country in Southeast Europe. Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008, while Serbia Claims it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Okay

As of 2020, 97 out of 193 UN member nations, 22 out of 27 European Union member states, 26 out of 30 NATO member states , and 31 out of 57 Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states had recognised Kosovo. It is a member of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. It is not recognised by China, Russia, India among other nations and also not by the UN.

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

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Western Sahara, also known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, is a partially recognised de facto sovereign state in western Africa that claims the non-self-governing region of Western Sahara but only controls the easternmost one-fifth of it. Western Sahara was known as Spanish Sahara, a Spanish colony, from 1884 to 1975. Around the time of the exit of Spain, Morocco invaded the region.

The Polisario Front announced Western Sahara's independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in 1976. (SADR). The SADR is primarily an Algerian government in exile that claims the full region of Western Sahara but only controls a small portion of it, the rest of the region is under Morocco. 41 UN member states have ratified the SADR. Morocco claims Western Sahara including the area controlled by the SADR as part of its sovereign territory.

The Republic of Abkhazia

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It is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, located on the Black Sea's eastern coast. Most countries regard the region as part of Georgia, which views it as an autonomous republic. Abkhazia declared its independence in 1999. Only Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria have all recognised the country. Despite the fact that Georgia does not have sovereignty over Abkhazia, the Georgian government and the majority of UN member states consider Abkhazia to be a legal part of Georgia, with Georgia maintaining an official government-in-exile.

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