MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. During a meeting with President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Bafel Talabani, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underscored the unacceptability of turning Iraq into a scene of confrontation among third countries.

"The officials exchanged views in detail on relevant Middle Eastern matters, with a focus on the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq as a whole. Both sides reiterated their support for the efforts to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Iraq, to respect its constitution, and prevent the transformation of this multiethnic state into a battleground for settling scores and confrontation between external actors," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The parties discussed issues of further strengthening the traditionally friendly relations between Russia and Iraq, including in the context of advancing diversified, mutually beneficial cooperation with the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq.

The foreign ministry said that Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov also held extensive consultations with Bafel Talabani at the Russian Foreign Ministry.