Today marks the 202nd anniversary of the establishment of postal communications in Azerbaijan. Postal services in Azerbaijan began to develop 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 the city of Ganja in 1818. 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. On June 15, 1830, first category post offices were opened in Shamakhy and Shusha for the development of relations between Russia and the Caucasus in the territory of Azerbaijan. In 1861, for the first time, a maritime mail exchange was carried out between the Caucasus and the Iranian ports of Rasht and Astarabad on the Caspian Sea.
The conveyance of mail in Azerbaijan by rail was launched via Baku-Tbilisi on May 9, 1883, and between Baku-Derbent in 1900. The transportation of mail by rail and sea gave considerable impetus to the development of postal services in Azerbaijan.
With the creation of the Ministry of Post and Telegraph on October 6, 1918, a new period of development of the Azerbaijani post started. The development of the economy and culture in the country, the improvement of the social situation of the population have further increased the demand for postal services.
Economic and cultural development, the improvement of the social situation of the population in the republic on the eve of the World War II further increased the demand for postal services. In this period, the number of postal networks increased by nine times compared to 1920 and reached 524.
The most difficult and at the same time the most honorable period of Azerbaijani post dates to the years of the World War II. In those years, the number of mail items and soldier’s letters increased and their timely delivery to addresses demanded responsibility and will. Despite the hard times, dedicated postal workers worthily carried out their professional duties. In 1945, a Postal Expedition was created in Baku. This contributed to the movement, safeguarding and control of international mailings.
In the 70-80s of the last century great leader Heydar Aliyev paid special attention to the postal sphere. It is no coincidence that at that time over 300 post office buildings were built in the republic. At the end of the twentieth century, after the collapse of the USSR and the republic gained independence, postal service in Azerbaijan entered a new period of development. Thus, as a result of the internal policy pursued by national leader Heydar Aliyev, who, at the insistence of the people, came to power for the second time in 1993, socio-political stability was established in our country and the development of postal services was achieved, as well as all other areas. Today, as a result of the successful continuation of this policy by President Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Post is achieving the greatest success.
Since Azerpost is the only national postal operator providing postal services in the country, it has great responsibilities. From this point of view, the mission of Azerpost is to fully provide both individuals and companies with a wide range of high-quality postal and financial services. Azerpost LLC under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies has the largest service network in the country. Currently, the organization has 63 branches, 7 communication centers, 3 subsidiaries, 1,497 post offices and 84 postal agencies.
Azerpost LLC, which is a member of several influential specialized organizations, was awarded nine times in a row the certificate of gold level of the EMS (Express Mail Service) of the Universal Postal Union among operators in over 160 countries.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies launched the project "Shebeke" on February 10, 2017. The services provided to the population by the agencies of the ministry are presented in a single place. In addition to traditional telecommunications and postal services, "Shebeke" service centers provide banking and financial, as well as tourism services, such as sales of air tickets. The centers also implement sales of international and local payment cards, compulsory insurance policies, electronic signatures, envelopes, postage stamps and postcards, provide money transfer services, budget and utility payments, payments on the State Mortgage Fund, registration of mobile devices. At the moment, there are ten "Shebeke" service centers in the country. Six of them are located in Baku – Sabail, Yasamal (2), Binagadi (2) and Khazar districts. The other four are in Sumgait, Jalilabad, Zagatala and Aghdash cities. Work is currently underway to ensure coverage of all districts of Baku city with "Shebeke" service centers. At the next stage, it is planned to open "Shebeke" service centers in other major cities and regions of Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that Azerpost LLC, during the special quarantine regime imposed in connection with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, provided support to a number of social projects implemented by the state. Within the framework of the social campaign under the slogan "We are strong together", launched by Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as well as during the holy month of Ramadan, food products were distributed to low-income and vulnerable families.
The process of issuing lump sum payments (190 AZN) to the unemployed and informally working low-income citizens who lost their jobs due to the special quarantine regime has also been successfully completed at the post offices. Under the project, payments of over 590,000 citizens for April were made by Azerpost LLC.
To ensure the use of financial services by citizens without leaving their place of residence under the special quarantine regime, field postal services were organized in the suburbs of Baku.
In accordance with the strategy of corporate social responsibility, a campaign to support farmers was provided. To prevent mass gathering of people in closed spaces, "farmer cards" were delivered to farmers through Azerpost branches.
Today, Azerpost LLC, the only national postal operator of the Republic of Azerbaijan, provides services to citizens during the week, including Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Call center 169 provides answers to citizens’ questions, listens to their proposals and evaluates them 24 hours a day. In a word, Azerpost LLC continues to operate successfully on land, at sea and in the air.
