South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari Thursday to discuss expanding bilateral ties, Lee's office said.

During the meeting, Lee asked for Iraq's cooperation in securing stable crude oil supplies, and called for support for South Korean companies that seek to participate in oil and gas field development projects in Iraq.

In response, Zebari pledged continued efforts to strengthen cooperation with South Korea in areas including crude oil supplies and economic exchanges, the presidential office said in a press release.

The top Iraqi diplomat arrived in Seoul earlier in the day for a four-day visit that also involves a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-hwan.

His visit comes at a time when South Korea is looking to diversify sources of oil in a show of support for the U.S.-led anti-Iran sanctions campaign aimed at cutting petroleum imports from the Persian country.

Nearly 10 percent of South Korea's crude oil imports were from Iraq in 2011.