Baghdad - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday left Baghdad for Moscow at the beginning of a tour of European countries that Baghdad hopes will drum up investment in Iraq.

Al-Maliki hopes to sign two agreements on economic cooperation between Iraq and Russia over the course of his three-day visit to the country, according to a government statement run in Baghdad's al- Sabbah newspaper Thursday morning.

He is also expected to discuss the return to Iraq of Russian companies, particularly those working in petroleum, water, and electric infrastructure, the newspaper said.

In meetings scheduled for Friday, al-Maliki will ask Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to supply Iraq with "sophisticated weapons systems," al-Sabbah reported, and "Iraq's return to playing a pivotal role in the region."

On April 2, a Russian company signed a deal worth 80 million US dollars to deliver 22 Russian-made Mi-17 military helicopters to Iraq via a Saudi intermediary.

Al-Maliki will also discuss the possibility of Russian oil giant LUKoil's return to the country, and the revival of old contracts with Russian companies to run Iraqi power stations.

Under a 1997 agreement, LUKoil operated Iraq's West Qurna oil field, which, with its estimated recoverable reserves of between 11 and 15 billion barrels, is one of the country's largest.

Russia has lobbied al-Maliki's government to sign a new contract with LUKoil for the field. dpa