Baghdad, March 17 : Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met here with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar to discuss bilateral cooperation in electricity, natural gas, and oil sectors.

According to a statement on Sunday from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, the two officials explored ways to encourage Turkish companies to invest in Iraq's oil and gas sector, Xinhua news agency reported.

They also discussed the potential for Turkey to supply electricity to Iraq to address seasonal shortages and stressed the importance of expediting the electricity interconnection project by completing the necessary technical preparations as soon as possible, the statement said.

The two sides agreed to double the amount of electricity that Turkey will provide to Iraq, which will help meet part of the energy needs of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and the city of Mosul, it said.

Furthermore, they discussed the possibility of importing gas from Turkey to meet the needs of Iraq's power plants and ways to strengthen cooperation in this area, the statement added.

In addition, the two Ministers discussed the renewal of the Ceyhan pipeline agreement for the transportation of oil, underscoring the possibility of extending it southward to boost Iraq's oil export capacities and facilitate its delivery to European markets.

They also affirmed the importance of maintaining ongoing coordination and joint follow-up on issues of mutual concern, as the two Ministers earlier agreed on increasing the transmission capacity through the Iraq'Turkey interconnection line to 600 megawatts.

Last June, the two countries operated the joint electrical interconnection line (Kisk'Cizre, 400 kV), which currently supplies Iraq with 300 megawatts.

Earlier this month, the US rescinded Baghdad's waiver to purchase electricity from Iran, as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.

Decades of conflict have left Iraq struggling with chronic electricity shortages. Despite its oil wealth, the country remains heavily dependent on gas imports from Iran to power its grid.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also confirmed that the two Ministers explored the possibility of importing Turkish natural gas to supply power plants across Iraq, further solidifying the growing energy partnership between Baghdad and Ankara.

/IANS