Vietnamese, Cuban news agencies seek stronger partnership

HÀ NỘI — General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Nguyễn Đức Lợi and President of the Prensa Latina (PL) news agency of Cuba, Luis Enrique Gonzalez Acosta, held talks in Hà Nội on Tuesday to review outcomes of bilateral co-operation and discuss measures to strengthen their partnership in the future.
The PL leader extended greetings to the VNA on its 74th founding anniversary and thanked the Vietnamese news agency for its effective support over the years.
Without the support and assistance from the VNA, it would be hard for the PL to accomplish all tasks assigned as Cuba was facing tightened economic embargoes, he stated.
Realising the signed bilateral agreement, the two sides have provided each other with news, pictures and TV reports in English, French and Spanish, while sending experts to work in each other’s offices. The VNA-run Vietnam Pictorial has been printed and published in Cuba and the Latin American region.
Lauding the exchange of news in Spanish between the two sides, the VNA leader affirmed that PL news was an important source for the VNA, especially in updating readers with information on Latin America and Venezuela.
PL experts had worked effectively with the VNA in producing Spanish news and helping train young editors as well as printing and publishing the Vietnam Pictorial in Spanish for the Latin American region, he noted.
PL reporters had actively covered news from Việt Nam, while sending entries to the National Awards on News on External Affairs. A piece on Vietnamese children by Mariela Venezuela Perez during her time in Việt Nam won second prize at the awards in 2018, while another by a team led by Alberto Salazar Gutierrez won a consolation prize, Lợi highlighted.
He said that the VNA always gave the best support to PL reporters and experts in Việt Nam.
Luis Enrique Gonzalez Acosta said that the PL was willing to support the VNA by sending its experts to work in the VNA. After returning to their homeland, the PL experts said that they learnt a lot from their time in Việt Nam.
During the talks, the two sides agreed on a number of measures to strengthen their cooperation efficiency, including the increase of the publishing of the Spanish edition of the Vietnam Pictorial in Latin America. This is also one of the major contents of a project to develop national press for foreign service of the VNA, which has been approved by the Prime Minister of Việt Nam.
The two sides agreed to increase news of activities held in each country on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic relations, highlighting the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two Parties, States and nations as well as prospects for bilateral partnership.
They also discussed the organisation of photo exhibitions on socio-economic issues, the image of the land and people of each country on this special occasion.
Leaders of the two news agencies also sought measures to enhance their professional co-operation in the future, thus promoting the growth and prestige of each agency in the region and the world.
The same day, Hồ Quang Lợi, Vice President of the Việt Nam Journalists’ Association (VJA), held talks with President of the Cuban Association of Journalists (UPEC) Ricardo Ronquillo Bello in Havana , during which they exchanged experience in press development.
The UPEC opened a photo exhibition on Việt Nam's late President Hồ Chí Minh, displaying works by press agencies of the two countries, including many that have never been released before.
Lợi described the works as an invaluable heritage of Việt Nam and Cuba, and the two associations.
During their stay in Cuba, the VJA delegation is scheduled to meet officials from the Communist Party of Cuba and visit some key media agencies and journalist training institutions in the country. — VNS