FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari that Moscow supported Iraq’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Iraqi Kurds are expected to vote on Monday to back an independence drive that neighboring countries and Western powers fear could break up the country and stir broader regional ethnic and sectarian conflict.

“The Russian side confirmed its constant support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq,” the ministry said in a statement.