The conclusion of the Soviet-Afghan “Treaty of Friendship” in the context of new archival sources

New archival documents published in Russia and the United Kingdom make it possible to identify the stages and peculiarities of the negotiation process between Afghanistan and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on the conclusion of the Treaty of Friendship of 1921. The initial aim of Soviet diplomacy in drafting this document was to turn Afghanistan into a foothold for subversive activities against British India. The Afghan Emir Amanullah Khan, in turn, wanted to obtain military and financial aid from Soviet Russia through the Treaty of Friendship to fight Great Britain. His second goal was to strengthen Afghanistan’s position in Turkestan, where he wanted to create a confederation of Central Asian states under his control. As the declassified archival documents of the NKID show, the Soviet government was not prepared to pay such a high price for an agreement with Afghanistan. During the negotiations, there were many pauses caused by the aggravation of Soviet-Afghan rivalry over Bukhara and the amount of Soviet assistance to Amanullah Khan. However, both sides understood the need to establish strong partnerships to stabilize the international position of the RSFSR and independent Afghanistan. For this reason, after difficult negotiations in Kabul and Moscow, the Soviet-Afghan Treaty of Friendship was concluded on February 28, 1921. It allowed Soviet Russia to strengthen its position in Central Asia, creating a significant counterbalance to British intrigues in the region.