ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday reaffirmed his government's commitment to reducing reliance on imported gas to fuel power plants during a meeting with executives from US energy giant ExxonMobil.

Zaidi’s remarks came during a meeting with CEO Darren Woods and the company’s board of directors in Houston, Texas.

The premier underlined Iraq’s commitment to developing the oil production and export sectors and to enhancing Iraq’s refining and processing capabilities, calling on the company to contribute to Baghdad’s “ambitious” plans, according to a statement from the premier’s office.

Zaidi is in Houston as part of a week-long visit to the US. He previously met with President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday and has sat down with several other major companies since arriving in the Texan city on Thursday.

In a separate meeting also in Houston on Thursday, Zaidi called on the giant US-based Chevron oil firm to expand its operations in Iraq to achieve Baghdad’s objectives of increasing crude oil production and diversifying export routes.

The premier held another meeting on Thursday with representatives from Halliburton, Shell, Honeywell, Weatherford, and Baker Hughes, during which he once again emphasized that his government is “paying great attention to the development of natural gas investment projects,” his office said in a separate statement.

Iraq has long relied on imported foreign gas, particularly from Iran – an active adversary of the US that Washington is currently in conflict with – to power its national electricity grid.

Iranian gas supplies previously accounted for between 30 and 40 percent of Iraq’s energy needs, with Baghdad coming under heavy pressure from Washington to diversify its gas imports.