OPEC member Iraq has reached an advanced stage of negotiations with international oil giants seeking to grab a share of the Gulf country's massive gas industry, its Oil Minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying.

Ihsan Abduljabbar said he discussed projects in gas with BP, Total and other companies during a European tour last week and that he is planning more discussions with other firms.

Quoted by the official Iraqi news agency, Abduljabbar said Baghdad is interested in tapping its associated gas sector to develop local industries and ease reliance on oil.

He said the negotiations involved BP, Total, Gazprom, Eni, Chevron and ExxonMobil.

"We are trying to build strategic relations with serious energy companies which possess technology and financial capabilities that will effectively contribute to building a national industrial base...we have achieved good results with big European and US companies with the purpose of expanding their investments in Iraq's energy sector, mainly in associated gas," the Minister said.

Iraq controls around 3.1 trillion cubic metres of proven natural gas and 145 billion of recoverable crude oll deposits, according to the BP Statistical Review.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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