MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov reaffirmed Moscow's support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Moreover, Bogdanov opposes the external interference in Iraq's internal affairs and promotes further enhance the anti-terrorist potential of the Iraqi government.
Meanwhile, on June 7, President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendum on independence of the autonomous region from Iraq on September 25, a decision which has been criticized by Baghdad, Tehran and Washington. It was reported that Turkey and Iran expressed a common position that a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan could provoke increased tensions, and called for the abandonment of the initiative.
