BUENOS AIRES, December 20. /TASS/. A sufficient number of Argentine businessmen have shown interest in working with Russia despite the geopolitical climate and the threat of secondary sanctions, Russia's Ambassador to Buenos Aires Dmitry Feoktistov told reporters on Monday.
"Just like anywhere else, the business [sector] reacted differently to the geopolitical situation. We had the Argentina-Russia Business Council dissolved in March through a voluntary decision by the council’s leadership, but without meeting members of the council. Still, there are enough businessmen in Argentina who have their opinion of what is going on, and are ready to continue cooperating with Russia and have shown interest irrespective of the political situation," the diplomat explained.
A new council was established in November, which "united people that are ready to work" with Russia "under any conditions, with no fears of secondary sanctions," he noted. "It is even more representative than the previous one. It consists of 66 businessmen that represent almost all of Argentina’s provinces," the ambassador added. The council’s members from the Russian and Argentinian sides will hold their first videoconference on Wednesday.
The two countries managed to boost trade turnover by more than 52% in 2021, though this year the dynamics have changed due to anti-Russia sanctions, Feoktistov said. "According to the latest figures provided by the Federal Customs Service, trade turnover dropped by 30% in January-September to $711 mln. Russian exports plunged by 45.2% to $178.8 mln, while imports fell by 22.8% to $532.2 mln. The situation is clear and it has been the same in many countries," he noted.
At the same time, Feoktistov noted that work on new joint projects has been suspended by the Argentinian side. "As for specific political agreements, the Argentinians confessed that they would prefer to take a break for the time being. They said that at the moment it was not the best time for new initiatives. They [also] reiterated that the work on the issues, which had already been agreed upon, would continue," he pointed out.