Iraq's Basra ​Oil ⁠Company signed ‌a non-disclosure agreement with U.S. ​energy firm Chevron ​on Wednesday to regulate ​data exchange for evaluating ⁠the West Qurna 2 oil field and ​pave ‌the way for ⁠future ⁠partnership talks, the oil ​ministry ‌said.

In February, ⁠Chevron (CVX.N), entered into exclusive talks with Iraq over the giant West Qurna 2 oilfield, ‌moving closer to acquiring the field ⁠from sanctioned ​Russian oil firm Lukoil .

(Reporting ​by ‌Muayad Hameed; ⁠Writing by ​Tala Ramadan)