CARACAS, August 11.—Cristina Fernández and Hugo
Chávez, the presidents of Argentina and Venezuela,
respectively, signed 22 trade agreements this
Tuesday, including an important one on motor
vehicles, thus confirming their cooperation and
concretizing the replacement of Colombian products
in Venezuela, AFP reports.
In
total, the agreements signed represent $1.1 billion,
according to information supplied by the Argentine
president, who noted that the bilateral trade
balance in 2008 stood at $1.4 billion.
"We are making a contribution to this history of
integration and trade with the conviction that these
integration processes are key to establishing
ourselves in this century as one of the most
significant regions on the planet," affirmed
Fernández.
The agreements include one for the purchase of up
to 10,000 utility vehicles, buses and trucks,
replacing the agreement that Venezuela has just
canceled with Colombia for buying the same number of
motor vehicles this year.
Moreover, the two leaders signed a bicentenary
framework agreement commemorating the independence
of both nations, which includes the promotion of "economic
and commercial exchange between the two countries."
