Pipeliners

MOSCOW, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is ready to take part in a project to build a gas pipeline linking Bolivia and Argentina, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday. Speaking after talks with his Argentine counterpart, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Medvedev said: "We have the opportunity to develop cooperation in the gas sphere, including in the construction of a gas pipeline to link Argentina and Bolivia." "We hope that we will reach an agreement on the project's main issues," Medvedev told a news conference. Bolivia, which has Latin America's second largest gas reserves after Venezuela, signed a contract with Argentina last March to build a $1.5 billion gas pipeline that will eventually quadruple the amount of natural gas the country supplies to its southern neighbor. Russia's Gazprom, which is increasingly looking to Latin American markets, signed a gas prospecting deal with Bolivia earlier this year. The energy giant is also in talks with Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela that jointly plan to build a transcontinental pipeline which will also cross Bolivia. Medvedev also said Russia and Argentina would cancel visas soon in a bid to encourage business contacts and tourist flows. "We agreed to finish work over an agreement on visa-free travel as soon as possible," he said. During de Kirchner's visit to Russia, the first by an Argentine leader in ten years, a series of deals were signed, as well as a statement and memo on cooperation in nuclear power and energy respectively. In a joint statement after the talks, the presidents said their countries would continue to cooperate in space, primarily in probe and satellite launches, and pledged efforts to increase and balance trade with a focus on hi-tech projects. Bilateral trade has grown more than fivefold in the last four years to over $1.6 billion, although it has tilted in Argentina's favor. Medvedev and de Kirchner also reiterated appeals for reform of the global financial system against the backdrop of the ongoing credit crunch. They urged efforts to promote a fair world order and curb inequality. Argentina also expressed support for Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization. De Kirchner invited Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who she met on Tuesday, to visit Argentina. The invitations were accepted. The date for the visits will be coordinated via diplomatic channels.