Bulgaria and Argentina take new steps in their trade cooperation

Bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Argentina have received a new impetus for development following the visit of an Argentine delegation from the Chaco province to Bulgaria at the beginning of November. High-ranking officials from the administration of the Argentine province, which spans an area of 99,000 square kilometers in the northern part of the country, presented the cooperation opportunities that Chaco can offer Bulgaria. At the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), representatives of Bulgarian companies trading with Argentina learned about a wide range of goods that can be imported from Chaco to Bulgaria.

Argentine's Chaco province offers enormous potential for Bulgarian investments

The leader of the delegation, Leandro Zdero, governor of Chaco province, also held a meeting with Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova, during which they discussed ways to expand cooperation in various fields such as education and science, research and innovation, new technologies, agriculture, culture, and tourism. Iotova received an official invitation to visit Argentina next year.

Vice President Iliana Iotova with Chaco governor Leandro Zdero

Speaking to Radio Bulgaria, Leandro Sdero summarized his impressions of the visit to the country as follows:

“This visit is wonderful for us because we are in a country that has its small piece in Chaco province. There, Bulgarians have a strong presence, mainly in Roque Sáenz Peña and Las Breñas, where descendants of emigrants, creoles, and the local population coexist. Our visit to Bulgaria is a continuation of the twinning initiatives we want to promote. During the meeting with Vice President Iliana Iotova, we expressed our desire to strengthen ties in culture, education, technologies, and traditions, as well as to enhance trade relations. We did this here, at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – we presented the products offered by Chaco province. Our delegation is both public and private because for us, this is the right approach to trade development.”

The Valley of Roses and Bulgarian beauty in Roque Sáenz Peña, Argentina

The Argentine delegation also visited the town of Pleven in Northern Bulgaria where a twinning agreement between the Bulgarian town and Roque Sáenz Peña was signed. The document was co-signed by the mayors Valentin Hristov and Bruno Cipolini.

So why Pleven?

“There are many emigrants from Pleven who have settled in Roque Sáenz Peña,” says Governor Leandro Zdero. “The Bulgarian community there is very strong, there is a Bulgarian square and a Bulgarian center. The goal of this twinning is to ensure the representation of Bulgarian culture in Argentina and through exchanges in education, culture, and trade to maintain the language and traditions.”

Let’s recall that in 2013 in Las Breñas, the mayors of Bulgaria's Sopot and Las Breñas also signed a twinning agreement between the two towns.

Alfredo Gonzalez, president of the Argentine Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (CAME), stressed for Radio Bulgaria that his country was working hard to find new ways to export goods to Europe and that Bulgaria was an extremely important market in this regard:‎

“I would like to thank the president of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the cooperation between CAME and the Bulgarian institution. The meeting was very fruitful because it connects us first at the local level so we can then strengthen ties in the public sector. For us, Bulgaria is a very important country, which is why we are signing the agreement in Pleven. We met with some entrepreneurs who already have trade relations with Argentina but in other provinces. We 'infected' them with our enthusiasm for Chaco, which is very productive in various sectors. First and foremost are agriculture, livestock breeding, and forestry. All of this is arranged at the import-export level. We will strengthen the ties through our Embassy and the BCCI to have direct contact with businesses. We will expand the range of products already offered. Apart from the emotional connection with Bulgaria, we will also strengthen the economic one. The Argentine government works with businesses and offers good conditions, so it is important for us to work with the private sector. We want to seek new markets, mainly for export. There is something that can connect us more than we might think. In our province, there is a hub of companies that work in the knowledge sector, with very strong human potential because of the universities there. As we know, Bulgaria is also exceptionally strong in this area.”