During a talk with General Director of the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Sergei Mikhailov in Hanoi on Monday, President Truong Tan Sang called  on him to do more to promote  the friendship between Vietnam and Russia.

The President also highlighted Russian people’s assistance to Vietnam during its past struggle for national liberation and current national construction, affirming that the help will always be remembered by the Vietnamese Government and people. He suggested ITAR-TASS and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) increase the sharing of information in various areas, ranging from politics, investment, and trade to social life and culture to reflect development cooperation and integration between the two nations.

For his part, Sergei Mikhailov expressed his pleasure to be the first general director of ITAR-TASS to visit Vietnam. He also extended condolences to the Vietnamese Party and State over the passing of General Vo Nguyen Giap, emphasizing that Russian people have admired and respected the General, who had made great contributions to the friendship between Vietnam and Russia. The ITAR-TASS official recalled the operations of Soviet Union reporters in Vietnam during the wartime and said that mutual understanding and mutual trust serve as a good foundation for the two countries’ news agencies to strengthen their cooperation.

Sergei Mikhailov affirmed that his agency will make all possible effort to promote the traditional friendship between the two countries and boost cooperation between the two news agencies. He also told President Sang that ITAR-TASS and VNA will hold a photo exhibition featuring the two countries’ land and people on the occasion of the upcoming visit to Vietnam by President Vladimir Putin.