(amends headline)

HELSINKI, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow was assisting in the fight against Islamist insurgents in Iraq with the consent of the Baghdad government.

Lavrov, speaking at the Barents Euro-Arctic Council in Oulu, Finland, also said Russia's invitation to join an intelligence centre in Baghdad staffed by Russian, Iraqi, Iranian and Syrian officials remained open to all interested parties.

Iraq has begun bombing Islamic State jihadists with help from the new intelligence centre, a senior Iraqi parliamentary figure said on Tuesday with respect to cooperation seen as a threat to U.S. interests in the region. (Reporting by Anna Ercanbrack; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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