Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Thursday the Russian Embassy in Iraq had come under gun attack twice January 10 and was badly damaged, although no victims were reported.
"Following the gun attack on the Russian Embassy in Iraq, [Sergei] Lavrov said that the U.S. command of the multinational forces must provide security for our and other diplomatic missions, and prevent such incidents in the future," the Foreign Ministry said on its Web site following Lavrov's telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The two officials discussed the situation in the Middle East and measures to step up international efforts to restore peace, as well as other pressing bilateral issues, the Foreign Ministry said.