E-mail to Azerbaijani president growing in popularity

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received hundreds of e-mails from the public this year, many of them concerning the work of local authorities. Suleyman Ismayilov, head of the department for documents and citizens’ appeals at the Presidential Administration, said that the number of letters sent to the president via his website had increased since April.
He said in an interview with Azerbaijan newspaper that applications, proposals and complaints made up the majority of the e-mails. There are letters of gratitude for renovation work carried out in various parts of the country, for additional funds for socio-economic development and for various medals and prizes.
"As for the subject matter of the requests, they mainly concern the work of local authorities, construction of private houses, urban development, housing, social aid and benefits, treatment and medical supplies, employment, the work of law-enforcement and legal bodies and many other issues,” Ismayilov said. “Foreign citizens also write to the president via his website. The letters mainly come from the CIS, European and Asian countries and ask for various kinds of information about Azerbaijan and for the president's autographs."
Ismayilov said that electronic messages came from across the country, but said that more came from Baku, Sumgayit, Shirvan, Lankaran, Saatli, Salyan and Goygol. The official said it was mostly younger people who contacted the president via his website. “Analysis shows that mostly the young and adult generation write to the official website of the president. The older generation prefer to send letters by mail.”
An interactive map has been created on the president's website which allows members of the public to write to local authorities via the website, Suleyman Ismayilov said in his newspaper interview. The websites and e-mail addresses of the local authorities of all cities and districts, divided up into 11 economic zones, are indicated on the map. “Citizens’ letters to local authorities through this website will enable us to do a thorough analysis of the letters," Ismayilov added.