Russia calls Turkish troop deployment in Iraq 'unlawful incursion'

MOSCOW - Reuters

DHA photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has spoken by phone with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari to discuss the "unlawful incursion" of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Dec. 12.

"The Russian side expressed its firm position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq," the ministry said in a statement. 

Iraq appealed to the United Nations Security Council on Dec. 11 to demand an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Turkish troops from the north of the country. Baghdad said their presence was a "flagrant violation" of international law.