The Prensa Latina News Agency and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) need to step up bilateral cooperation in order to meet the increasing requirements of information during the new stage, said a Party official.

Phung Huu Phu, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and Vice Chairman of the CPVCC’s Commission for Information and Education, made the request while receiving Prensa Latina’s Vice President Jacinto Granda de Laserda in Hanoi on June 29.

Phu said he was delighted to welcome the Cuban friends, stressing that Cuba and Vietnam are faithful friends, who have been pursuing the same sense of purpose and ideal target of building socialism.

The Party official spoke highly of close and effective cooperation between the two news agencies, which contributed greatly to national defence and development in each country and brought information and images of both Vietnam and Cuba to the world’s people.

Granda de Laserda emphasised the necessity to strengthen and boost the time-honoured relationship between the two countries’ Parties, States and people.

He also expressed his belief that Prensa Latina and VNA would continue to cooperate effectively in the years to come.

Earlier, Granda de Laserda held talks with VNA’s Deputy General Director Nguyen Hoai Duong to review the implementation of a cooperation compact between the two news agencies.

They also discussed directions and specific measures to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation to new fields in the future./.