The Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern today paid tribute to long-standing ties between Ireland and Argentina, paying particular attention to Irish companies with a presence in the South American country.
Speaking at Banco de la Nacion today, the Taoiseach said while he had met many Argentines of Irish descent on his visit, there was room for further expanding economic relations between the two countries.
"The first step to improving trade has to be developing better understandings of our respective economies," he said.
He went on to outline the growth in the Irish economy, citing consensual partnership with other economic players, the Irish education system, membership of the EU and foreign investment as key contributors to Ireland’s economic success.
The Taoiseach expressed a cautionary note when he mentioned the economic slowdown in the US, stressing Ireland needed "to remain vigilant to the possible threats to our economy if the slowdown in the US is sustained."
Mr Ahern said that Ireland’s economy had grown faster than its infrastructure, and that this was also a threat to continued economic growth.
But he expressed confidence that the National Development Plan will put in place the infrastructure necessary to tackle this.