MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Prospects for the development of the situation in Iraq after the defeat of Islamic State (a terrorist group outlawed in Russia) was in focus of a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United Nations Secretary Generals’ Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jan Kubis, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

"The sides focused on the prospects for the development of the situation in Iraq in the context of the operation to exterminate terrorist presence and the situation around Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the tasks of the post-conflict development," the ministry said. "The sides stressed the importance of expanding international efforts to help the Iraqi government normalize the situation in territories liberated from Islamic State, revive the country’s economy and restore its infrastructure, as well as encourage the return of refugees and internally displaced persons."

The Russian side reiterated its support to Iraq’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and stressed the necessity of settling domestic problems via a comprehensive national dialogue reckoning with the interests of all ethnic and religious groups in the country. "The sides agreed that it is important to reach intra-Iraqi concord in the light of parliamentary elections in Iraq scheduled for May," the ministry added.

Apart from that, according to the ministry, Kubis met with Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.