BUENOS AIRES, July 12  /ITAR-TASS/. Russia and Argentina have signed several documents on strengthening cooperation between the two countries. 

The agreements were signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Saturday, July 12.

Russia is developing relations with Argentina in all areas - political, economic, and cultural. “In spite of complicated processes in world economy, we’ve managed to keep up a positive tendency in our bilateral trade, which grew more than 16% last year,” Putin said.

Law enforcement agencies cooperation

Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov signed an interstate treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, an interstate treaty on transfer of persons sentenced to imprisonment and an interstate extradition treaty.

Energy cooperation

Head of Russia’s nuclear state corporation, Rosatom, Sergei Kiriyenko signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin hopes that an agreement on cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes will provide the foundation for nuclear interaction between both countries.

Big prospects will be opened in nuclear engineering. Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, takes part in a tender for building the Atucha third unit, Putin said. Russia possesses of high tech in erecting nuclear power plants that are economically efficient and meet the toughest security and environment standards, the Russian president said.

Putin hopes that Russian companies will be actively involved in a programme for modernising generating capacities in Argentina and building new power plants.

“Inter RAO intends to take part in the construction of the Chihuido hydro plant. Its capacity will reach 637 MWt and the price will be of $2 billion,” Putin said at expanded talks on Saturday.

Russia’s Silovye Mashiny carry out a contract on turbine supplies for the Putna Negra hydropower unit at the amount of $19 million. “The company is ready to take part in modernising the Argentine-Uruguayan Salto Grande hydroelectric dam. Both parties work on the Argentina-Patagonia hydroelectric project,” Putin said.

Information cooperation

Russian Minister of Communications Nikolai Nikiforov signed a document on cooperation in mass communications.

“This agreement will ensure round-the-clock broadcasting of the Russia Today television channel in Argentina,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier.

It will help Russia and Argentine news agencies expand contacts and exchange information, Putin said after expanded talks. Special attention will be paid to the development of cultural relations, he said.

“The tour of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra in Argentina became a good tradition. Annual festivals of Argentine tango are very popular in Russia,” Putin said.

Installing a GLONASSS monitoring station and military-technical cooperation

Russia hopes for a positive decision on installing a GLONASSS monitoring station in Argentina, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said.

“We intend to strengthen cooperation in high tech, including in space,” Putin said after expanded talks on Saturday.

Special attention will be paid to expanding military-technical cooperation. “Today we’ve discussed projects in this field - supplies of helicopters and cargo transport aircraft to Argentina for the joint work in Antarctica,” Putin said.