In the working session, Minister Nguyen Quan expressed his pleasure about cooperation relations between Vietnam and the US in general and in S&T field in particular over the past time. Senior leaders of the two countries have mentioned to raise relations between the two countries to the strategic partnership level.

In the working session, Minister Nguyen Quan expressed his pleasure about cooperation relations between Vietnam and the US in general and in S&T field in particular over the past time. Senior leaders of the two countries have mentioned to raise relations between the two countries to the strategic partnership level.

Especially, the Minister hoped the two country would sign Agreement 123 (Agreement on Atomic Energy Cooperation) in order to create favorable conditions for Vietnam in building nuclear power plants and development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

In addition, within the framework of S&T cooperation between the two countries, Vietnam together with the US have implemented many joint research projects and cooperation projects agreed by the Inter-governmental Committee for S&T between the two countries. These projects have made good progress. The Minister hoped that in the coming Summit Conference on nuclear security in South Korean, Vietnam and the US would have important contributions for results of the Conference.

Ms. Rita Colwell affirmed that in the coming meeting with the S&T advisor of the US President in the US, she would communicate the message of Vietnamese Government in consideration and desires to speed up the construction progress of nuclear power plants for peaceful purposes and increase cooperation in fields of education, S&T. At the same time, Ms. Rita Colwell would discuss about opportunities to develop the cooperation program on exchanging among laboratories of the two nations.

Especially, Ms Rita Colwell emphasized the program on exchanging scientists of the two countries. Accordingly, the two parties could send US scientists to Vietnam to teach in short courses or send students from Vietnam to the US for participating in research activities in laboratories, or focus on projects of common interest of the two countries, for example projects on Biology Technology, Nano Technology, Physics, Mathematics. This Program will create favorable conditions for the two parties to discuss ways to develop cooperative relations during the transitional time in order to promote S&T cooperation between the two countries.

As known, during this visit to Vietnam, Ms. Riata Cowell together with the mission would come to Hồ Chí Minh City to visit some companies and find ways to strengthen activities of innovation and creation, development of technologies so that technologies from laboratories could manufacture specific products.