Country, say, troika visited regularly (5)

I believe the answer is:

syria

'country' is the definition.
(Syria is an example)

'say troika visited regularly' is the wordplay.
'visited regularly' indicates alternate letters.
'say'+'troika'='saytroika'
The alternate letters of 'saytroika' are 'SYRIA'.

(Other definitions for syria that I've seen before include "Middle East republic" , "Land" , "Good judgement, knowledge" , "Country bordering?Lebanon" , "Country E. of Lebanon" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.