Russian oil major Lukoil plans to produce the first oil from Iraq's giant West Qurna field next year, the firm's chief executive Vagit Alekperov was quoted as saying on Monday.
Alekperov's comments, quoted by Interfax news agency, coincided with the US handover of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government, two days earlier than planned, ending 14 months of occupation.
Interfax, reporting from Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga, gave no details of Alekperov's comments and there was no indication whether Lukoil had reached agreement with Iraqi officials on its rights over the field. A 1997 deal on exploration rights has been repeatedly put in question.