February 7 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI) and Argentina's National Directorate for Antarctic concluded a cooperation agreement at the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on Monday. The document was signed by Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, Head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, and Guillermo Carmona, Secretary for the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic at the Argentinean Foreign Ministry. The Rector of the St Kliment Ohridski University, Prof. Anastas Gerdjikov, and the Ambassador of Argentina to Bulgaria, Alfredo Atanasoff, also attended the ceremony.

The agreement will follows up on a 15-year-old Antarctic cooperation agreement between the two countries, Prof. Pimpirev said.

The Argentinean Embassy in Sofia and BAI also opened a photo exhibition at the Sofia University celebrating 30 years of cooperation in the Antarctic between Bulgaria and Argentina.

Carmona thanked Prof. Pimpirev, the BAI members and Ambassador Atanasoff, who comes from a family of Bulgarian migrants to Argentina, for the Antarctic cooperation between Bulgaria and Argentina.

"The Argentinean Antarctic programme is a priority of our foreign policy", Carmona stressed, adding that Argentina has been exploring the Antarctic since 1904.

Our national Antarctic programme is based on strong cooperation with all countries with Antarctic bases, including Bulgaria, Carmona said. He added that the starting point for Antarctica is Ushuaia in Argentina and it is extremely important for his country to renew cooperation with Bulgaria.

Prof. Gerdjikov thanked Argentina for helping the Bulgarian polar explorers for reaching their base on the island of Livingston.