Argentine Foreign Minister arrives in Russia to give economic cooperation a boost

One of the goals of the Argentine Foreign Minister's current visit to Moscow is to boost economic cooperation between his country and Russia.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Rafael Antonio Bielsa said the Argentine government's current confidence-building measures were aimed at getting the national economy out of a deep crisis. Argentina is trying to make its trade policy predictable and to rise investor confidence, the minister said, expressing hope that his country's relations with Russia would benefit from these steps.

Russian and Argentine officials will sign a framework agreement on the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes at a special ceremony Friday, Mr Bielsa revealed to the media. "One of a Russo-Argentine joint venture's senior executives is currently visiting Moscow, and [cooperation in the] nuclear energy [industry] will be discussed within the framework of the 2nd Russia-Argentine business forum, now underway in Moscow," the minister said.

Mr Bielsa said President Nestor Kirchner had asked him to convey an invitation for Vladimir Putin. The Argentine government is working hard to make the Russian leader's visit possible before the end of this year, he added.

At a ceremony in Argentina's Embassy, national Argentine awards were presented to Russian politicians and people in the arts who had made outstanding contributions to the promotion of cooperation and friendship between the two nations. The awardees included former world chess champion Anatoli Karpov, Armenian community activist Ara Abramyan, and choreographer Igor Moiseyev.

In his acceptance speech, the 98-year-old Moiseyev said: "Being in love with Argentina as I am, I feel deeply moved, and will take your award of honor close to heart. That you have taken notice of my endeavors inspires me to continue working, however challenging this may turn out to be for me."