MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. The dialogue format on Afghanistan, know as the extended Troika, may be reformed into a ‘five’, that is with India and Iran participating instead of the US, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov told TASS.

He recalled that 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.

"The following format, along with the work of the SCO (the Shanghai Cooperation Organization - TASS) 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.