Kris & Vlad

Reproducimos dos perlitas del sitio ruso Sputnik aparecidas hoy. Obvio que vale la pena, pero esto nos va a costar, chicos. La Embajada ya debe estar maquinando. ¿Se viene el Nisman 2.0?

Título: Russia and Argentina Sign Energy Deals Worth Billions

Epígrafe: Russia and Argentina signed agreements which amounted to an "all-encompassing strategic partnership" during Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's visit to Moscow.

Texto: Russia and Argentina signed a number of deals on developing hydroelectric, nuclear and fossil-based energy and announced intentions to use each other's currencies in trade.

The memorandums are a massive breakthrough for economic relations between Russia and Argentina. Russian President Putin called the negotiations rich and fruitful.

"There were important long-term deals made in economic and political spheres. Russia and Argentina are entering a new stage of cooperation," the head of Argentina's Foreign Ministry Timerman Hector told Sputnik.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said the two sides agreed to conduct thorough consultations on using national currencies in trade calculations instead of US dollars.

Argentina's New Power Sources

A $2 billion memorandum was signed to build a new hydroelectric dam and will consider switching to national currencies for mutual deals. Russia's VEB bank will provide $1.2 billion of the total investments needed, 35 percent of which will be used to pay Argentine subcontractors.

In addition, Russia will provide Argentina with access to Russian nuclear power technology. The deal will be prepared by the end of the year. The head of Russian nuclear power plant company Rosatom declined to give an estimate to the deals, saying that one bloc costs "billions of dollars."

"Rosatom has joined the project to build the sixth bloc of the Atucha nuclear power plant," Putin said.

New Prospects for Oil and Gas

Russian energy giant Gazprom signed a memorandum to explore and develop gas fields with Argentine state gas company YPF. The deal may amount to $1 billion in investments according to Argentina's Minister of Industry.

Russian company Uralmash will also construct a plant which will manufacture oil extraction equipment, which will amount to an additional $1.9 billion in Russian investments.

"Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was greeted very warmly in Russia. Vladimir Putin was welcomed in Argentina the same way. This is another confirmation of the high level of mutual understanding between our countries," a commentator on Argentina's state television, Tico Rodriguez Paz, told Sputnik.

Diplomatic Understanding

Putin also said that Russia and Argentina will cooperate in the military-technical sphere and pledged to accelerate the construction of GLONASS satellite navigation systems in Argentina.

In the mutual statement, Kirchner and Putin agreed that the situation in Ukraine can only be solved by peaceful means. Putin added that Russia supports Argentina in the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands dispute.

"Russia supports Argentina's striving for direct talks with Britain to achieve prompt resolution to the Malvinas Islands dispute," Putin added.

The Eurasian Economic Union and the Latin American MERCOSUR bloc also plan to sign a cooperation memorandum.

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Título: Russia, Argentina Experiencing Best Relations in History – Ambassador

Epígrafe: Argentine Ambassador to Russia Pablo Anselmo Tettamanti said that the relations between Argentina and Russia are in their best moments in past decades.

Texto: Russia and Argentina are currently experiencing the best communication in a 130-year-long history of bilateral relations, Argentine Ambassador to Russia Pablo Anselmo Tettamanti told Sputnik.

“The relations between Argentina and Russia are in their best moments in past decades, I think this [moment] is the best, but it is also a great challenge,” the diplomat said, adding that the two countries now have to take advantage of the situation and transform their good will into specific action.

Tettamanti noted that the two countries have maintained good contacts since the establishment of relations in October 1885. He said that Russia and Argentina consistently demonstrate convergence on issues even when ideological positions of the governments differ.

After the West started imposing sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s alleged role in the internal Ukrainian conflict, Argentina significantly increased food imports to Russia.

Currently the two countries are discussing the possibility of Russia investing in the Argentine energy sector and Argentina purchasing Russian Mi-171E helicopters.

Argentina wants Russian companies to join the project to build Unit 5 of the Atucha NPP about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Buenos Aires.

"Argentina is interested in the participation of Russian companies in the construction of the fifth reactor of the Atucha NPP, as well as in other projects," the ambassador said in a brief interview in the run-up to the Argentine president's visit to Russia.

The ambassador said that Vladimir Putin and Cristina Kirchner "are expected to reach understanding in the talks that have lasted for quite a while" when they meet in Moscow in late April.

In July 2014, Russia and Argentina signed a package of agreements, including one on energy cooperation. During his visit to Argentina that month, President Putin expressed hope that Russian energy companies would be invited to Argentina to help revamp its energy producing facilities and build new power stations.

Last July, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia's Rosatom nuclear energy corporation was ready to work with Argentina on the construction of a new nuclear power unit at the Atucha plant as both contractor and builder.

Atucha is a nuclear power plant in the Argentinian town of Lima. Argentina announced earlier plans to build a fourth nuclear power unit to fit in a Canada-made reactor, while a fifth unit would reportedly be built around a Russia-constructed reactor.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 23. According to the Kremlin press service, the two leaders will discuss the implementation of the agreements reached during Putin's visit to Buenos Aires last summer. They will also exchange opinions on further development of bilateral cooperation in trade and investments.