Extended Troika to meet in Doha next week

KABUL (Pajhwok): The ‘Extended Troika will meet in Doha in early August to review the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

The meeting of the Extended Troika comprising Russia, China, the US and Pakistan would be held next week, a Russian diplomat said on Friday.

President Vladimir Putin’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov made the announcement at an online briefing in Moscow.

TASS quoted him as saying: “We are in contact over the phone with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who is now in Washington…”

“Next week, we are planning to meet in Doha with him and with our Chinese and Pakistani counterparts for the next encounter of the Extended Troika,” he added.

Substantive consultations, both in bilateral and Extended Troika formats, would continue, he said, adding they were ready for broader talks with international actors.

In Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri underlined the importance Pakistan attached to the Troika Plus as an important forum for facilitating the Afghan peace process.

“Pakistan will continue to support efforts to achieve a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan,” the spokesman said in a statement.

PAN Monitor/mud