We have arrived in Argentina at times of change, during which the country is opening itself for business. Argentina is to launch mass-scale reforms for the modernization of the institutions and the infrastructure and the country has declared its intentions to return to the global stage in the best possible manner. This is what Head of State Rosen Plevneliev said in his welcoming address to the representatives of more than 100 Argentinean and 20 Bulgarian companies at a joint business forum held in Argentina’s capital city of Buenos Aires. During the first day of his visit to Argentina, the President declared he was in favour of promoting the closer contacts between the business circles in the two countries, and unveiled the opportunities and prospects for doing business in Bulgaria.
The Head of State said it was no accident that Bulgaria had been the first EU member state to undertake an official visit at the top level since the onset of the political changes in Argentina. “We have come with a clear goal and strategy – Bulgaria will provide Argentina the opportunities to enter the richest market in the world – the European one – at the lowest price,” the Bulgarian President said.
Bulgaria is well-known throughout the world with its engineers, with its expertise in the energy sector and particularly in the area of renewable energy sources, as well as in food processing. We have been upgrading our infrastructure at a high pace, and the Bulgarian companies at good prices can ensure excellent quality up to the world standards, President Plevneliev pointed out, giving the construction of the underground in Sofia as an example.
Bulgaria is “the ultimate regional hub” in the sphere of communication and information technologies, the Head of State further said. Our country also provides excellent opportunities for start-ups, and is among the best performing countries in Europe in terms of the number of start-ups, and in the sphere of the outsourcing of processes. The Bulgarian currency is stable and Bulgaria is an example of a country where the currency board is well functioning, and it will be kept in operation until Bulgaria’s accession to the euro zone, President Rosen Plevneliev went on to say.
Argentina and Brazil are now in the focus of our attention and we will support every idea launched by the business in the two countries, the Head of State further said. “Bulgaria is not just a country that is developing and modernizing. It is a hub and a driver of the positive development of the entire region. The most beneficial prices, support by the government, the best possible business environment of the EU without any additional costs – this is what Bulgaria can offer to the business in Argentina”. This is how President Plevneliev summarized the prospects for cooperation between the business in Bulgaria and Argentina.
The bilateral trade with Bulgaria is on the rise, even though it is has not yet reached the potential of the bilateral ties. There is a relatively low degree of diversification of the exports to Bulgaria. Copper comprises almost 90 percent of Argentina’s overall exports to Bulgaria and there are significant prospects for the increase and diversification of Argentina’s exports for Bulgaria, the vice president of Argentina’s Chamber of Commerce Manuel Riveira said. “We are convinced that our bilateral trade will soon take up the path of mutual expansion, and the real sector plays a key part for achieving this goal,” Riveira added.
In the presence of President Rosen Plevneliev and of Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski, Tsvetan Simeonov, president of the Bulgarian Commercial and Industrial Chamber, and Manuel Riveira, vice president of Argentina’s Chamber of Commerce, signed an agreement for cooperation between the two organizations. The Argentinean Chamber of Commerce has a history of more than 90 years and is a leader in the sectors of trade and services in Argentina. The enterprises that are members of the organization account for 60 percent of Argentina’s GDP and 65 percent of the labor force employed in the sectors of trade and services.
During the first day of his official visit to Buenos Aires, President Rosen Plevneliev will hold talks with Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri.