said Prime Minister Adel Abdul - Mahdi, Monday, Iraq 's desire to expand cooperation with Russia and the development of oil and gas fields, while Russia has renewed its support to the Iraqi government and the desire to develop relations between the two countries. 

"Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mehdi received this morning the Special Envoy of the Russian President to the Middle East, African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia and his accompanying delegation Bogdanov," the office of Abdul Mahdi said in a statement. "The latter conveyed the greetings of the President Russian and Russian Prime Minister to Abdul Mahdi. "




"Bogdanov renewed the support of the Russian leadership for the Iraqi government and the desire to develop relations between the two countries in all fields," the office said. 

For his part, Abdul-Mahdi said during the statement "his pride in the relations between the two countries and peoples, and thanked Russia's support for Iraq," stressing "Iraq's keenness to expand relations of cooperation in the economic and investment fields and development of oil and gas." 

He praised the "Russian role and balanced relations that contribute to strengthening the security and stability efforts in the region." 

During the discussion of the next session of the Iraqi-Russian joint government committee, and developments in the region.

The meeting was attended by Alexei Solomatin, Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yuri Shafranik, President of the Union of Russian Oil and Gas Producers, Gusei Gochitel, Managing Director of Soyuz Naft Gas, and Maxime Maximov, Ambassador of Russia to Iraq. 

Also attended by Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Nizar al-Khairallah, Iraqi Ambassador in Moscow Haider al-Athari, and a number of advisers. 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrived in Baghdad on Monday for a two-day working visit to the Middle East and North Africa.