MOSCOW, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez called for a closer partnership with Russia at Kremlin talks on Wednesday, the latest Latin American leader seeking to deepen ties with Moscow.
Fernandez's visit to Moscow comes weeks after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev toured Latin American countries including Brazil, Peru and Venezuela.
"We must deepen our political dialogue, our cooperation on the international arena because above all Russia and Argentina are convinced ... of the need to build a world based on multipolar principals," Fernandez told Medvedev.
After talks, Medvedev and Fernandez signed a joint declaration which stated "intentions to build the relations of a strategic partnership", according to a copy distributed by the Kremlin.
Russia estimates bilateral trade with Argentina has risen four-fold over the past five years to about $1.5 billion a year, with Argentina exporting agricultural products and Russia exporting fuel and fertilizers.
"We are on the whole satisfied with how Russian-Argentine relations are developing, the rates of trade turnover growth ... but we still consider we could still do much, much more," Medvedev said at talks with Fernandez.
Russia's No. 2 oil firm Lukoil signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday with Argentine state energy firm Enarsa and downstream Pobater S.A. to join forces for oil products storage in Latin America.
Fernandez met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and Russia's Kommersant newspaper said Argentina may be interested in buying Russian arms.
Putin and Medvedev accepted invitations to visit Argentina, the Kremlin said. (Reporting by Denis Dyomkin, Tanya Mosolova and Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Andrew Roche)