MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bodganov has confirmed Russia's commitment to Iraq's territorial integrity and called for national reconciliation with consideration of the interests of all of the country's ethnic groups at a meeting with Iraqi parliamentarians.
"The Russian side confirmed [its] unwavering principled stance in support of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, noted the need to achieve lasting national reconciliation within the constitutional framework with consideration of the interests of all of Iraq's political forces and ethno-confessional groups," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website following Bogdanov's meeting with a delegation of the International Affairs Committee of the Iraqi Chamber of Deputies headed by its chairman, Abdul Bari Zebari, on Friday.
"During an exchange of views on the development of the situation in Iraq, the main emphasis was placed on Iraqi authorities' efforts to eliminate the presence of terrorists in the form of ISIL [banned in Russia] and ensuring the country's unity in light of the events surrounding Iraqi Kurdistan," the ministry said.
Bogdanov and Zebari also discussed a number of relevant issues in Russian-Iraqi relations, including strengthening the political dialogue, mutually beneficial economic cooperation, and inter-parliamentary interaction.