The presidents of Russia and Argentina Wednesday sealed an array of cooperation deals, including in nuclear energy, and vowed to work together to promote a "multipolar world."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and visiting Argentinian counterpart Cristina Kirchner held talks in the Kremlin that focused on promoting economic relations beyond trade towards areas like nuclear energy or military cooperation.
The two heads of state signed a political cooperation declaration calling for "serious reforms" of the global economy and backing multipolarity in the world.
Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom signed an agreement on "cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy" with Argentina's planning and state investment ministry. Further details were not released.
"We must reformulate the rules in the spheres of economics, finance and security," Kirchner, who is on her first visit to the country, told reporters after the talks.
"Living in the world without rules is bad, but even worse is living in the world where rules exist only for the weak and where the strong constantly break them," she said in a thinly veiled reference to the United States.
Medvedev, who has just returned from his tour of Latin America that included staunch US critics Venezuela and Cuba, struck a similar tone.
"The domination of one state - the strongest, the largest, the most successful, is certainly inadmissible."
However, he cautioned that the two countries did not plan to cooperate "at the expense of anyone."
Medvedev said the talks also focused on possible participation of companies like state oil producer Rosneft in projects with Argentina.
Speaking after talks with his Argentine counterpart, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Medvedev said: "We have the opportunity to develop cooperation in the gas sphere, including in the construction of a gas pipeline to link Argentina and Bolivia."
"We hope that we will reach an agreement on the project's main issues," Medvedev told a news conference.
Bolivia, which has Latin America's second largest gas reserves, signed a contract with Argentina last March to build a $1.5 billion gas pipeline that will eventually quadruple the amount of natural gas the country supplies to its southern neighbor.
Russia's Gazprom, which is increasingly looking to Latin American markets, signed a gas prospecting deal with Bolivia earlier this year. The energy giant is also in talks with Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela that jointly plan to build a transcontinental pipeline which will also cross Bolivia.
Medvedev also said Russia and Argentina would cancel visas soon in a bid to encourage business contacts and tourist flows. "We agreed to finish work over an agreement on visa-free travel as soon as possible," he said.
Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said after the talks Russian oil and energy companies have ramped up cooperation with companies in Argentina in the past months.
He added that participation of Gazprom would ease access to gas fields in Bolivia and "guarantee efficiency of decision-making." The Russian energy giant is also in talks with Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela that jointly plan to build a transcontinental pipeline which will also cross Bolivia.
Combined reports AFP, RIA Novosti
