The event was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and the head of the Federal Agency of Communications Oleg Dukhovnitsky.
The first mention in the annals of sending a messenger from Russia to another state refers to the year 885. The word "messenger" appeared in the annals of the X century. In those centuries, diplomatic couriers were called "fast messenger", "drug messenger" or "emergency messenger". Until the 17
th century, there were no permanent diplomatic representatives of Russia abroad. If necessary, they sent a trusted person to the prince or sovereign, he was called “salt” or “ambassador”. They were assigned to three groups: "great ambassadors" (i.e. ambassadors in the modern sense), "light ambassadors" (i.e., envoys) and "messengers" (i.e. diplomatic couriers). With the advent of permanent diplomatic representatives abroad and the development of regular postal business, the value of messengers decreased slightly. It became easier for ambassadors to send reports by mail, created by the head of the Ambassadorial Order, AL Ordin-Nashchokin. Only in special cases did they send diplomatic couriers — they began to call messengers that way by the end of the 17
th century.
On August 27, 1918, a separate subdivision was created in the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR to ensure reliable and confidential communication with representative offices and agencies of the Soviet Republic abroad by diplomatic couriers. He was named the diplomatic courier table. There were uniform requirements for the packaging of diplomatic bags, the design of courier sheets, passports, as well as the rules of meetings and wires of diplomatic couriers. In 1930, a Part of diplomatic couriers was separated into an independent structural unit, called the Department of Diplomatic and Local Communications. When the NCID was transformed into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1946, the department was called the Department of Diplomatic Courier Communication. In 1992, as the Office of Diplomatic Courier Communication, he was included in the Department of Administrative Affairs of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In June 1996, the Department was transformed into an independent division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and in 2003 - into the Department of Diplomatic Courier Communication.
Today, the department serves 100 with a small diplomatic courier that serves the embassies and consulates of all countries with which Russia has diplomatic relations. Now the Department provides courier communications to the Presidential Administration, the Government Office, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Russian Foreign Ministry and other government agencies with our overseas representative offices. “The Federal Communications Agency together with the JSC“ Marka ”annually produces various philatelic products dedicated to state and public events and anniversary dates. Today, an art stamp with a circulation of 180 thousand copies is printed on it, which shows the emblem of the Diplomatic and Courier Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. I am sure that the release of such brands will be a valuable gift for residents and guests of Russia, ”said the Head of Rossvyaz Oleg Dukhovnitsky.
“I want to thank the employees of the Federal Communications Agency, Marka Joint-Stock Company, the Department of Diplomatic and Courier Service, who participated in the preparation of this event, and Oleg G. Dukhovnitsky, for celebrating the release of stamps for the first time in the life of our foreign service countries, ”said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The postage stamp depicts the emblem of the Diplomatic and Courier Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
In addition to the issue of a postage stamp of JSC “Marka”, the first day envelopes were issued and the first day stamp was made for Moscow.
Designer: R. Koms.
Rating: 27 r.
Brand size: 37 × 37 mm, sheet size: 131 × 131 mm.
Form of issue: sheet with decorated fields of 9 (3 × 3) marks.
Circulation: 180 thousand marks (20 thousand sheets).
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