Coordinating Committee for Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center convenes 33rd meeting

At the event. (Photo: Duy Hai).

Attending the meeting were Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Bezdetko Gennady Stepanovich; members of the Vietnam and Russian Subcommittees; and representatives of ministries, branches, and agencies of Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien at the meeting.

Inaugurating the session, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien affirmed that: VRTC is the only bilateral cooperation model that has existed since the Soviet time. This is a symbol of great political significance in the relationship between the two countries.

Over nearly 35 years of development, the Center has become a multidisciplinary tropical science and technology organization with a position and professional reputation affirmed in Vietnam, and Russia; making a significant contribution to the scientific and practical interests of the two countries, consolidating and developing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia.

Mr. P.A. Kucherenko, Secretary of State, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. P.A. Kucherenko, Secretary of State, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation emphasized that the 33^rd meeting of the Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee carries great significance towards the 35^th Anniversary of the Center.

After the time affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, this face-to-face meeting is an opportunity for the two sides to directly discuss in detail the contents of research cooperation in 2023.

Delegates attend the meeting. (Photo: Duy Hai).

The reports of the Co-General Directors of the Center, and the opinions of the delegates at the meeting agreed that: in the past year, even under the significant impacts of objective factors, the scientific and technological activities of the Center were successfully implemented in accordance with the Resolution of the 32^nd Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Committee on VRTC, obtaining valuable results, many new data of great scientific and practical significance, serving practical tasks for military, national defense, economic development, and ecological environment protection.

Accordingly, the Center has carried out 50 topics and 02 technical tasks in its research directions: Tropical ecology, Tropical materials, and Tropical biomedicine. The research focuses on biodiversity, structures, and functions of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; evaluating the impacts of climate change and human activities on ecosystems and proposing some solutions to resources management; assessing the level of dioxin and dioxin-like substances in the Vietnamese ecosystem; implementing natural tests to assess the durability, corrosion resistance, aging resistance and biodegradation of materials; researching, testing, and developing promising protective materials; expanding research scale of plague and infectious diseases in humans, etc.

Delegates attend the meeting. (Photo: Duy Hai).

The Center organized 185 field trips in its research fields and obtained significant results; had 280 scientific articles published, of which 127 articles were published in prestigious scientific journals in the world; published 06 issues of Tropical Science and Technology Journal, including 03 special issues of 03 main research directions towards the 35^th Anniversary of the Center; completed annual Russian teaching program to 94 students with outcomes corresponding to the B1 level (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Concluding the meeting, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien agreed with the reports of the Co-General Directors of VRTC on the results obtained in 2022 and the Center's Science & Technology Research Plan in 2023. The Coordinating Committee and the Vietnam Sub-Committee acknowledged the Center’s efforts to overcome difficulties and the flexible direction of the Board of Directors of VRTC in fulfilling the tasks in 2022.

He also asked the Center to focus on performing the key tasks in coordinating research in 2023; building and perfecting the Center’s development strategy by 2030; continuing to strengthen cooperation activities on application and technology transfer of products in the fields of tropical materials, tropical biomedicine, and tropical ecology; further attracting the participation of other organizations and research institutes; and coordinating in building and effectively implementing science and technology programs.

Co-Chairmen sign the Minutes of the 33^rd Session of the Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee on the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center. (Photo: Duy Hai).

At the end of the event, the two sides also agreed on the agenda of the 34^th meeting of the Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee for VRTC and signed the Minutes of the 33^rd meeting. 

Delegates attending the meeting take a photo. (Photo: Duy Hai).

Nguyen Xuan Ngoc