The conversation’s agenda covered trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin held a meeting with Ambassador of Argentina to the Russian Federation Enrique Ignacio Ferrer Vieyra.
First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergei Kislyak also took part in the conversation.
“Our points of views regarding various events and processes in today’s turbulent world may not necessarily coincide. Still, Argentina has upheld its unwavering commitment not to join the illegitimate sanctions against Russia, which, among other things, are at odds with the free market principles,” Grigory Karasin said in his opening remarks.
The senator went on to stress the fact that Argentina took a principled position on the non-admission of delivering military hardware and dual-use goods to Ukraine. “Russia views this kind of approach by Argentina as a demonstration of its responsible attitude, as well as its firm commitment to honouring its international obligations,” he pointed out.
The Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs also said that the Government of Argentina has placed trade and investment on top of its international cooperation agenda. “We appreciate the fact that our partners in Argentina share our belief in the need to expand our economic cooperation without subjecting it to any ideological bias,” Mr Karasin pointed out.
The senator also noted the challenging situation in terms of bilateral trade, which has been declining in recent years. However, he added that Russia and Argentina have complementary economies, which means that they always have something to offer one another. “Reviving the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation could be an important step in terms of improving this situation,” Grigory Karasin said.
In his remarks, Enrique Ignacio Ferrer Vieyra spoke at length about developing trade, economic and cultural ties between Russia and Argentina. He spoke out in favour of enabling the Intergovernmental Commission to resume its work. “We are looking forward to reviving these contacts as quickly as possible, since they help us expand our trade relations and launch projects which have been paused, including in the fishing industry,” Argentina’s Ambassador to Russia said.
At the request of the Argentinian side, the Russian participants in the meeting explained Russia’s approaches to the Ukraine crisis.