Laying of flowers in memory of the Algerian and Vietnamese journalists and technicians who died in Vietnam in 1974
On March 8, in front of the commemorative stele erected in Mai Dinh commune, Soc Son district, Hanoi, the assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Le Thi Thu Hang, the Algerian Ambassador to Vietnam Mr. Boubazine Abdelhamid as well as the leaders of the Soc Son District People's Committee and diplomats laid wreaths in memory of the Algerian and Vietnamese journalists and crew members who died in 1974.
On March 8, 1974, 15 journalists and technicians from Algerian press and information agencies and 9 Vietnamese journalists (including 2 agents (who were interpreters and guides for the delegation of Algerian journalists) from the Press Department, now became the Department of Information and Press - Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and 3 crew members unfortunately perished on the flight accompanying the late Algerian President Houari Boumedien on an official visit to Vietnam.
To commemorate this event, both Algeria and Vietnam have built memorials in each country. In Vietnam, a memorial was erected and inaugurated at the site of the accident in Mai Dinh commune, Soc Son district on the occasion of the state visit to Vietnam by former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in October. 2000.
Photo: The world and Vietnam report
Then, in 2013, the Algerian government also erected a memorial for 15 journalists and named the street of Vietnamese journalists in the capital Algiers.
Were present in the commune of Mai Dinh, district of Soc Son to lay wreaths in front of the commemorative stele, on the side of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Mr. Bui Ha Nam, Director of the Middle East - Africa Department and officials of the said Department, Mrs. Le Thi Thu Hang, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry Spokesperson, Director of the Information and Press Department; from the side of Soc Son district, Mr. Ho Viet Hung, vice-president of the district people's committee and heads of specialized agencies of the district and Mai Dinh commune.
Speaking at the commemorative ceremony, the Ambassador of Algeria to Vietnam, Mr. Boubazine Abdelhamid, said that it was an opportunity for the younger generations of both countries to remember and pay tribute to those who died in the line of duty.
Reviewing the history of relations between the two countries, the Ambassador shared that thanks to these Algerian journalists, through the press and on television, his generation had beautiful memories, a very close attachment and contacts almost daily with the Vietnamese people.
Photo: The world and Vietnam report
“News about the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people to recover their sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity was always on the front page of the International News daily TV show. This aroused the solidarity, admiration and affection of the Algerian people for the Vietnamese people”.
For her part, the Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Le Thi Thu Hang thanked the local administration of Soc Son district for the regular maintenance and renovation of the memorial. She expressed her wish that the district could consider developing the campus of the memorial stele so that it is more spacious, becoming a place of exchange between the people of the two countries.
Ms. Hang also shared the initiative of the Ambassador of Algeria to promote friendly relations between the localities of the two countries, including the district of Soc Son, thus contributing to promoting substantial cooperation in the areas of excellence of each part such as education and training, agriculture...
The other members of the delegation all said that the memorial stone bears witness to an important milestone in the history of Vietnam-Algeria bilateral relations, demonstrating the spirit of friendship and solidarity forged in the fight against the colonialists for the independence of the two peoples, at the same time, helping to further strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.
In particular, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Algeria, a very good opportunity to promote political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
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