Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has signed a general agreement on multimedia cooperation with the Latin American press agency Prensa Latina (PL) in Havana before a VNA delegation concluded a five-day visit to Cuba on July 7.

The agreement, signed by VNA General Director Tran Mai Huong and PL President Luis Enrique Gonzalez, highlights the first-ever bilateral commitments to the exchange of TV products for broadcasting of the VNA television channel and PL audio-video programmes.

Another accord signed on this occasion was the agreement on printing and publication of the Vietnam Pictorial in Cuba and Latin America .

Signatories were Vietnam Pictorial Editor-in-chief Nguyen Thang and PL Vice President in charge of publication, Maite Mareno.

The signing of these accords was the outcome of talks between the VNA and PL leaders, where host and guest emphasised their ambitions to become powerful groups in mass media.

For his part, the VNA General Director expressed willingness to share experiences in all fields, from human resource development to diversification of products, and provide technical assistance to the PL.

Huong highly spoke of PL’s assistance in personnel training, printing and publication for the Vietnam Pictorial under the VNA as a big contribution to promoting Vietnam ’s image to people in remote Latin America .

The PL President replied with thanks to the VNA for its recent assistance. Gonzalez warmly welcomed VNA goodwill in sharing experience which he described as a motivation for his agency to stay on the right track in the current information era.

The two sides exchanged experience in publishing an English language newspaper which is on the test run in Cuba while the VNA has been enjoying 20 years of experience in publishing the popular English daily with the largest circulation in Vietnam – the Vietnam News.

They reached a consensus that the two newswires should work together to improve their service quality to contribute to strengthening traditional relations between Vietnam and Cuba .

Cooperation should focus on news coverage of progress made in the renewal process underway in each country, as well as coordination of action and mutual support between the two countries in international forums, they emphasised.

During its stay, the VNA delegation was received by the Deputy Director of the Commission of Ideology of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, Angel Arzuaga.

The VNA chief, Tran Mai Huong, had a working session with the National Information Agency of Cuba (AIN), visited the International Press Centre and called at the Vietnamese Embassy./.