ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi top officials on Wednesday received Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, discussing the potential for cooperation in the field of gas with Azerbaijan during a visit by the Azerbaijani foreign minister to Iraq.

Bayramov initially met with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, where they discussed “ways to develop cooperation in the economic and trade fields, particularly in gas imports,” read a statement by the Iraqi foreign ministry following the meeting.

Shortly after meeting with Hussein, Bayramov also met Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani later in the day, where they put emphasis on “ways to enhance constructive cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly in the energy sector,” according to a statement by Sudani’s office.

Bayramov’s visit comes shortly after Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani met with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov on the sidelines of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit earlier this week, where they also touched on the matter of paving the way for “cooperation in the energy sector” between the two countries, according to Iraqi state media.

Iraq has recently begun trying to address an over-reliance on Iran to fuel its power grid. Iranian gas supplies currently account for between 30 and 40 percent of Iraq’s energy needs. These imports are especially crucial during the summer months when temperatures can reach 50°C and energy demand peaks.

Adel Karim, electricity advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, told Iraqi state media in March that Iraq is set to cooperate with Qatar, Algeria, Indonesia, Brazil, and “other countries on the global market” in order to meet its energy demands, adding that Sudani has also directed the completion of a floating platform in Khor Al Zubair.

The US in March declined to renew a sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to buy electricity from Iran as part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran; another sanctions waiver remains in place by Washington, however, for Iraq to import gas from neighbor Iran.