President commends Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre for contributions

Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang has praised the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre for its contributions to promoting scientific research and socio-economic development, and ensuring defence-security in each country, thus strengthening the traditional friendship and strategic cooperation between the two nations.

Addressing a ceremony celebrating the centre’s 30th founding anniversary in Hanoi on March 7, President Quang said the centre has upheld its role as a multi-sectorial tropical science and technology research establishment in Vietnam and Russia.

The centre has always coordinated closely with organisations and scientific research institutes of Vietnam, Russia and other countries in the world in the fields of research, application, training and science-technology transfer, he said.

The President asked the centre to harmonise basic research, application research, adaptation and technology transfer to serve defense and economic tasks.

He also stressed the need for the centre to promote the application of research results along with developing a number of products with high science and technology contents and enhance cooperation in researching and modernising infrastructure and technology.

President Quang also hoped that the centre will receive more support and better cooperation from the State, ministries, sectors and relevant agencies of Russia, thus helping it achieve greater achievements in the coming time for the sake of the people of both countries.

On this occasion, President Quang presented a third-class Military Exploit Order to the centre and a Friendship Order to Andrey Kuznetsov, general director of the centre.

Founded on March 7, 1988 under an agreement between Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence and the Russian Academy of Sciences, the centre works to study biology, medicine, environmental pollution and treatment of dioxin effects in Vietnam.

It is operating in three main fields: tropical endurance, tropical ecology and tropical biomedicine. It also works on the technology application and transfer, provides scientific-technological services and train scientists.

The centre is also in charge of coordinating collaboration among research organisations of Vietnam and Russia.

It has so far performed nearly 3,000 research projects, and published over 40 monographs among others.

More than 4,000 Russian scientists, including many leading experts, have worked at the centre. Coordination between the centre and its partners from the Republic of Korea, Canada and Japan was set up and has proven effective.-VNA