Argentina's Fernandez meets with Raul Castro

Argentina's Fernandez meets with Raul Castro
updated 8:35 p.m. CT, Mon., Jan. 19, 2009

HAVANA - Argentine President Christina Fernandez and Cuba's Raul Castro met behind closed doors on Monday and later signed agreements to bolster cooperation between the countries.

Cuban state media reported that the discussions covered an array of topics. Fernandez's four-day visit is the first to Cuba by an Argentine president since 1986.

The two presidents later inked 11 deals including an agreement to create a biotechnology and alternative energy center, to eliminate diplomatic visas and on joint health projects.

Separately, a group of 50 Argentine businesspeople and their Cuban counterparts launched talks aimed at expanding commercial links between the countries, which did $150 million in trade in 2007 according to the most recent figures available.

More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28738704/

Argentina and Cuba expand cooperative ties

Miriela Fernández Lozano

http://www.granma.cu.nyud.net:8090/fotos1/enero09/acuerdos_raul_cristina.jpg

AFTER official talks in the Palace of the Revolution, President Raúl Castro Ruz and Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner attended the signing of 11 bilateral agreements, with the goal of promoting closer collaboration in different areas.

Along with an agreement on the reciprocal elimination of visas for diplomatic, official and service passports, four memorandums of understanding were signed: the first for exchanges of experience in preventing and mitigating natural disasters; the second, for strengthening cooperation in agriculture, food, livestock, forestation, biotechnology and rural development; another, for closer rapprochement on utilizing and expanding exchanges of information to help establish positions in multilateral forums, such as the International Labour Organization.

The latter of these memorandums refers to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy, especially in medicine and agriculture.

Agreements were also signed for scientific and technical and commercial cooperation. In the field of health, accords were fundamentally aimed at promoting mutual research and production of anti-retroviral, oncological and other medicines.

Likewise, both sides envisioned the launch of joint projects in the area of energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, and increasing participation in the areas of geology, mining and the environment.

One instrument is the creation of an Argentine-Cuban Bi-national Biotechnology Center for developing pharmaceuticals and vaccines, with the fundamental objective of promoting research programs and technology transfer in this area.

More:
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/enero/mar20/Argentina-Cuba.html