Moscow, December 15 (PRIME-TASS). Russian company Lukoil’s victory in the tender for development of Iraqi biggest oil field “Western Kurna-2” is an obvious proof of Bagdad’s intention to build reasonable multi-vector policy with support of effective partners”. This point of view expressed in an interview to ITAR-TASS chairman of Russian-Iraqi business council and head of the Board of Oil and Gas Industrialists Union Yuri Shafranik.
According to his estimate “Russian oil giant’s win of the right to develop this rich Iraqi deposit is also a confirmation of correctness of Russia’s level-handed political position taken by it before the military confrontation which comes down to the principle “not to interfere into inner conflicts, not to hinder Iraq’s national development, on the opposite, to constructively facilitate realization of these tasks”. That was shown in writing off of Iraqi debt”. The most important milestone of the resurrection process of Russian Iraqi cooperation Y.Shafranik considers Iraqi prime-minister Nuri al-Maliki April’s visit. “His talks in Moscow allowed to lay political base for the renaissance of economic ties”.
In view of co-chairman of bilateral business council who exerted a lot of efforts to organize Iraqi premier's visit to RF “there is no reason to consider the results of Saturday's tender as a part of competition between Russia and US for positions in Iraq”. On the opposite, stressed Y.Shafranik referring to a recent exchange of views with leading US politicians and experts “American business and political circles are directly interested in actively engaging in Iraq other leading countries, including Russia who possess means, knowledge and technologies for realizing there effective economic projects.