Posta Shqiptare
Posta Shqiptare is the national postal service of Albania. Posta Shqiptare sh.a. is a public limited company owned by the Albanian Government. As of 2017 its CEO was Laert Duraj.
History
Beginnings in the Ottoman Empire
Albania's postal service dates back to the Ottoman Empire. Based on historical archives and contemporary sources, the first post offices probably opened during the 1840s and 1850s. A more organized service started in 1878, and offices were opened in every city. At the end of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, two overseas shipping companies established offices in Albania, which also served as post offices for deliveries abroad. These were the Austrian Lloyd Company and the Italian Company of Apulia. They had establishments in all coastal cities of Albania: Shkodër, Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë and Shëngjin.After independence
On 5 December 1912, one week after Albania declared its independence, the Provisional Government of Ismail Qemali founded the Albanian postal, telephonic and telegraphic services. The Provisional Government also founded the Ministry of Telegraphs and Communications, whose first minister was Lef Nosi. The first Albanian postal stamps were issued on 5 May 1913. Under this government, six different stamps were produced.On 7 July 1913, the Albanian Provisional Government applied to become a member of the General Postal Union, a process that was completed on 1 March 1922. During this time, 17 offices were connected by of cables. The headquarters in Tirana consisted of a director, four telegraphists, a prime telegraphist, two postal workers and a delivery worker. In 1938, 68 postal offices and agencies operated throughout Albania. As Italian investment grew in the country, the need to communicate with Italy became more important. For this reason, the Albanian government decided to install a short-wave radio station, which enabled telephone and telegraph connections between Rome and Tirana.