Maliki meets Russian energy minister

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday met with the Russian minister of energy, Sergei Shmatko, to discuss means of bilateral cooperation in all fields, according to an informed source. “Shmatko arrived on Monday morning in the capital Baghdad, leading a delegation comprised of specialists in electricity and oil,” an official spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, Aziz Sultan, told Iraqi News. The Russian official was received by the Iraqi minister of electricity, Kareem Waheed, at Baghdad International Airport. Waheed and Shmatko discussed the reactivation of old electricity contracts and the conclusion of new contracts, Sultan noted. The talks are expected to tackle the implementation of al-Yousufiya station, and the rehabilitation of two units at al-Haritha station and the hydroelectric station in al-Adheem. SS (P) 1