Lukoil eyes Iraqi markets

MOSCOW, April 13 (UPI) -- Russian oil giant Lukoil announced its intent to develop several oil and gas fields in Iraq, officials said.

"We are participating in a tender with partners; there are six oil and two gas fields there," RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Kolomatsky, head of Middle East development at Lukoil, as saying.

Kolomatsky said he could not release the names of those partners on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

The announcement comes on the heels of a visit to Moscow by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who met with top business and political leaders.

Maliki told reporters Friday in Moscow that Iraq sought Russian investments in a wide range of ventures.

"We are seeking to attract Russian companies to the Iraqi market and involve them in various projects," he said.

Lukoil had lucrative oil contracts with the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein, but the current government has so far refused to honor those agreements.

In March, Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov visited with top Iraqi officials in Baghdad, describing the meetings as "highly productive."

Kolomatsky said the results of the tender would be announced in the third quarter of 2009, RIA Novosti reports.