Buenos Aires, July 14 (Xinhua-RHC) --  Visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a nuclear energy agreement with Argentina in a bid to boost trade ties with the Latin American country.

Putin and his Argentine counterpart, Cristina Fernandez, told a press conference over the weekend that Russia's atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, would be involved in the construction of units in Argentina's Atucha III nuclear power plant.

Argentina, Latin America's third largest economy, has been building nuclear power plants to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels amid an energy crunch.

A Russian delegation traveling with Putin also visited Vaca Muerta shale field in the southern Neuquen province.  Argentina has one of the largest shale gas reserves in the western hemisphere, and the Vaca Muerta field could double Argentina's energy output in a decade if fully developed.

Argentina is the third leg of Putin's six-day Latin America tour, which has taken him to Cuba and Nicaragua.  The Russian president will participate in a summit of the BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - to be held in Brazil on Tuesday and Wednesday.