Mail

History and development

Postal services in Azerbaijan started developing during the time of the Safavid dynasty (XVI century). However, the creation of modern post as a form of communication dates to the first half of XIX century. The first post office was opened in 1818, in the city of Ganja.

• The first postal service in Azerbaijan was established on June 1, 1818. Mail forwarding was established in 1826 in Baku, March 12, 1828 in Nakhchivan.
• First category post offices were opened in Shusha, Shamakhi, Baku and Nakhchivan, and second category post offices were opened in Ganja and Guba in 1830, for the development of relations between Russia and the Caucasus in the territory of Azerbaijan.
• Maritime mail exchange was carried out for the first time between the Caucasus and the Iranian ports of Rasht and Astrabad in 1861.
• A postal service was organized between Tbilisi and Julfa in the years 1863-1872 in order to protect the transit trade of Iran.A post office was established in Julfa, which was the first international exchange of mail set up between Iran and Azerbaijan.
• The conveyance of mail in Azerbaijan by rail was launched via Baku-Tbilisi on May 9, 1883, and between Baku-Derbent in 1900.
• Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declared its independence on May 28, 1918 after that on October 6 , 1918 post and telegraph office was created under the government of the country.

Economic and cultural development, social status of the population in the republic increased the demand for postal services. In this period, the number of postal networks as compared to 1920 increased by 9 times - up to 524 units.

402 units or 76.7% of postal enterprises were located in rural areas. In 1940, postal routes increased by 2.6 times - up to 6767 km.

The most difficult and at the same time the most honorable period of Azerbaijani post dates to the years of the Second World War. In these years, the courage and the will of postmen’s should be especially noted.

The postmen, on which fell an additional responsibility for the timely delivery of soldier mail to the front line, the volume of which had increased considerably. Despite the hard times, postal workers worthily carried out their professional duties.

An international Postal Expedition was created in Baku in 1945. The event contributed to the movement, safeguarding and control of international mailings.

In 1970, the number of post offices in the country increased by 3 times - up to 1590 compared to 1940, and in rural areas their number made up 1171. Number of letter mail increased by 3 times up to 75 million, parcels- 2 times, newspapers and magazines- 6.5 times, postal routes increased by 3 times- up to 20 023 km, truck routes increased by 9 times – up to 1705, 000 km.

At the end of the twentieth century, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and our republic gained independence, and postal services entered a new stage of development. In the first years of independence, Azerbaijan experienced hard times in its postal service as other independent states.

However, on January 1, 1997 postal service was separated from telecommunications and began operating as an independent entity, and Postal Service entered a new stage of development. As a result of puposeful and successful activities of personnel reforms, the development of postal service was launched.

In March 1997, a short-term “Recovery and Development Programme” was adopted, and in December the “Concept of development of postal services for 1998-2003” was approved. In 2000, the postal service launched a cost-effective operation.

The national “Rules of postal services” was prepared for the first time in the history of postal services in 2002 and approved.

On June 29, 2004 Azerbaijani President signed the Law of Azerbaijan Republic “On Postal Service” which further strengthened the development of postal services in the country.

Currently, the national postal operator of Azerbaijan Azerpocht LLC has the most extensive network in the country and provides conventional and unconventional postal and financial services to all segments of the population and legal entities on favourable terms.

Computerization of all post offices in accordance with modern requirements, provision with necessary technical equipment and the introduction of high-end technology, guarantees high quality and reliability of rendered services.

Along with the state postal operator Azerpocht LLC, 33 private operators are providing speedy and courier mail services to legal and physical persons.

Azerbaijan’s postal administration was accepted as a full member of the Regional Commonwealth of Communications (RCC) in 1991, Organization of Economic Cooperation (OIC) in 1992, Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1993, European Conference of Posts and Telecommunications (CERT) in 2001.

The communications enterprise Azerekspresspocht of Azerpocht LLC was accepted as full member of the Cooperative EMS (Express Mail Service) of the UPU in 2002.

One of the biggest achievements of Azerbaijan was the country’s election to the governing bodies of the UPU - Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council for the first time in the 24th Congress of the Union.

Another success of Azerpocht LLC at the international level is its awarding gold-level certificate by UPU EMS Cooperative for the fifth consecutive year among operators in over 160 countries.