"We welcome the emerging normalization in Turkish-Iraqi relations," Lavrov said at the opening of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Abu Dhabi.
Relations between Turkey and Iraq deteriorated after Turkey dispatched its troops in Iraq in late 2015 on the pretext of helping Iraqi militia fight Daesh, without the Iraqi government's consent.
In October, the Turkish parliament extended a mandate allowing Turkish troops to be deployed in Iraq and Syria to combat terrorists for another year. Following Ankara's move, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution voicing protest against Turkish military presence in the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq not far from Mosul.
In mid January, the Turkish side reportedly agreed to withdraw troops from Iraq, though, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said that Ankara and Baghdad would discuss the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the Bashiqa military camp after the Mosul liberation operation was completed