The election held on Sunday in Iraq was a "positive event" though difficult, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

"This is a step in the right direction. This is a positive event," Putin told a government meeting in the Kremlin, according to the Interfax news agency.

However, "the conditions in which the election was held, putting it mildly, was very difficult," Putin stated.

Putin instructed all competent Russian departments to continue efforts in normalization inside and outside Iraq and to protect Russian interests in that country."