ArmInfo. Within PostEurop Plenary Assembly, which was held in Yerevan on April 19-21, the participants of the meeting discussed a number of issues on international cooperation among the European postal operators. Particularly, a decision was made to develop e-commerce and e-governance in HayPost (HP) Armenian post operator, Secretary General of PostEurop, the association of European public postal operators, Botond Szebeny said in a talk with ArmInfo's correspondent.
"The assembly was the last meeting of the European postal operators before the upcoming autumn congress. As a result of our discussions, on the initiative of the PostEurop, HayPost will be slightly reformed, which in my opinion will contribute to the overall development of the postal industry in Armenia," the Secretary General said, stressing that the negotiations also covered the prospects of development of the "Shop In America" e-commerce service in the work of Armenia's postal operator. "Shop In America" is a trade terminal through which Armenian citizens will get access to the shops of the USA and may purchase any goods they want at more affordable price than on the domestic market of the country. The US side guarantees to optimize the process of delivery of the ordered product in the shortest time. We look forward to the presentation of this terminal. In my opinion this is a unique solution, which will have a positive impact on the postal system' work," he noted. Expressing satisfaction with the process of implementation of this project, Botond Szebeny added that other member states of PostEurop will also follow Armenia's example of applying this service.
At the same time during the conversation the Secretary General of PostEurop gave positive assessment of the work of the Armenian postal company. Seven years ago the state of HayPost was dissatisfying because of financial condition and non-efficient management. Postal industry of Armenia needed reformation, infrastructure changes and investment programs while the process of management needed business reorientation, he stated. At the same time Botond Szebeny noted that during the recent visit to the post office of Armenia European representatives have registered a significant progress in HayPost work. We saw a lot of evidence of progress in the industry. Improved conditions of work for employees,applying new modern services, particularly e-governance due to which passport data of the client,
ID card, various payment cards will be available, he noted. Summarizing all the abovementioned facts Botond especially highlighted Armenia's initiative to hold a plenary session in Yerevan as it testifies to Armenia's postal operator's intention to become a part of international community and international network via exchange of experience and knowledge in postal sector.
During the talk the meeting between the Director General of the Universal Postal Union Bishar Abdirahman Hussein and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was also touched upon. To recall, during the meeting the Director General of the Universal Postal Union assured
that the Universal Postal Union will continue its assistance to the national postal operator of Armenia. In this light Secretary General of PostEurop Botond Szebeny noted that this assistance will be provided within "The PostEurop Neighbourhood Programm", a joint
program of PostEurop and UPU. I can state that this program is a know-how transfer to combined financial means: making payments for export, holding workshops for improving the quality of service, and will in overall contribute to optimization of process of assortment,
transportation and delivery. According to Botond this will not only lead to growing income of the company but will also help to find new solutions for HayPost operation.
In conclusion, Botond Szebeny expressed assurance in successful implementation of the events, which were set at the Plenary Assembly of PostEurop members.
To note, PostEurop is the association, which represents European public postal operators. It is committed to supporting and developing a sustainable and competitive European postal communication market accessible to all customers and ensuring a modern and affordable
universal service. The members of PostEurop represent 2.1 million employees across Europe and service up to 800 million customers daily through over 175,000 counters. To recall, Haypost Trust Management Company manages the Armenian postal operator, which joined PostEurop in 2007.