After a suspension lasting almost a year, Tajikistan’s national postal service, Pochtai Tojik, has resumed international mail deliveries to Russia.
The Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan confirmed that postal exchanges between the two countries restarted on May 20, allowing residents to once again send letters, parcels, and packages across all Russian regions.
The interruption began in July 2024 amid unresolved issues between the postal services of Tajikistan and Russia.
In January, the communications service agency head, Isfandiyor Sadullo, acknowledged significant operational challenges and pledged to resolve them to restore cooperation.
During the suspension, Pochtai Tojik ceased sending parcels to Russia, reportedly because the Russian postal authorities refused to accept shipments from Tajikistan.
Some customers were directed to use the private company Pochtai Asr, though its fees were substantially higher.
For context, sending a letter through Pochtai Tojik cost 10.00 somonis, and a kilogram parcel was 108.00 somonis.
Meanwhile, the private company charged 220.00 somonis for letters up to 300 grams and 451.00 somonis per kilogram of parcels.
Delivery times also varied, with the state post estimating 30 to 50 working days, compared to 5 to 7 days for the private provider, despite both using the same air routes.
The resumption of postal services is expected to ease communication and trade links between Tajikistan and Russia, benefitting citizens and businesses alike.
