Extended Troika on Afghanistan may become a ‘five’ without US

The dialogue format on Afghanistan, known as the extended Troika, may be reformed into a ‘five’, with India and Iran participating instead of the US, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov told state news agency TASS.

He said in the past the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry held talks with Washington and Afghanistan “in the bilateral format as well as within the framework of the so-called extended Troika, consisting of special envoys of Russia, China, the US and Pakistan”.

“However, taking into consideration the non-constructive approach of the US to its work, a five-party mechanism with the participation of Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and India started to shape,” Venediktov said.

He also pointed to the regular consultations of secretaries of security councils or national security advisors of the region’s countries (India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) on the Afghan issue, TASS reported.

“The following format, along with the work of the SCO (the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) is one of the most in-demand and useful in terms of peaceful settlement in Afghanistan. This year such a meeting took place in Dushanbe, the next year we hope to gather our partners here in Moscow,” he said.