FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin takes the oath during an inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 7, 2018. Sputnik/Ekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held a brief meeting with the prime minister of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, in Moscow on Wednesday, a Kremlin spokesman is quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

On Tuesday, a Kurdistan regional government official said that Barzani would travel to Moscow at the request of Rosneft chief Igor Sechin.

Rosneft is a major investor in Iraqi Kurdistan and controls its oil pipelines. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.