OREANDA-NEWS. On June 19, 2007 Boris Antonyuk, Deputy Minister for Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation welcomed the guests of the Forum. In his speech he noted a great number of countries taking part in "Pochtovaya Troika — 2007". He also stressed that such forums are of strategic importance for postal industry worldwide, reported the press-centre of Russian Post.

Opening ceremony of VIII Strategic Forum "Pochtovaya Troika — 2007" was held on 19th June in the A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications in Saint Petersburg.

Boris Antonyuk has also read the statement by the Minister for Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation. Leonid Reiman called "Pochtovaya Troika" one of the most significant events in the world postal industry. For the first time this year the Forum has become strategic one that reflected trend and idea of the event. In the course of the following discussions delegates of "Pochtovaya Troika" are to work out plans of further postal sector development under the terms of globalization and growing competition in the world economy. As Deputy Minister noted, international practice shows that postal service is one of the most reliable and common means of infocommunications.

Edouard Dayan, Director General of Universal Postal Union and Igor Syrtsov, Director General of FSUE Russian Post took part in the opening ceremony of the Forum.

In his speech he noted that despite of great development of electronic means of communication postal service remains the most urgent and efficient means of communication all over the world.

E. Dayan emphasized that the results of the Forum will be seen in the decisions taken after the Congress, as "Pochtovaya Troika" is held in particular time for post, in the period between Strategic Conference in Dubai in 2006 and World Postal Congress in Nairobi in 2008. On the eve of the Congress the program of the Forum has another important event as the conference of the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications "Future development of post". Its main topic is development of the project of future of the World postal strategy.