Turkic countries welcome Nevruz festival marking arrival of spring

Turkic countries on Tuesday welcomed festivities surrounding Nevruz, marking the arrival of spring through various forms of celebrations. Dance and theater performances, in addition to folk dances and concerts of famous artists, were observed in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, while the leaders of most of these states addressed their people and celebrated their Nevruz festival. Welcoming the festivities at a solemn ceremony, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated his nation's Nevruz holiday during a speech at the New Uzbekistan Park in the capital Tashkent. 'May the season bring peace and prosperity, and happiness to every family, every neighborhood, and our country,' he also said. 'I wish that our good deeds in this divine month will be accepted and our good and pure intentions will be answered,' Mirziyoyev further said. During celebrations in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, the country's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated his nation's Nevruz and Ramadan. He further noted that they must care about the country's youth and create good conditions for them to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan. Separately, speaking at a ceremony in the Ala-Too Square in the capital Bishkek, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov also celebrated the Nevruz festivities and congratulated his people as well. Noting that Nevruz is associated with the interweaving of 'hope with clear goals, tireless work, strong and inseparable unity,' Japarov further said these are the results of national unity and stability in society. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday lit a Nevruz fire in Shusha, the symbol city of Karabakh liberated last year from Armenian occupation, during an address. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Aksoltan Atayeva participated in a solemn event organized in New York, at the initiative of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Nevruz falls on March 21 and has been celebrated for more than 18 centuries across Anatolia and Asia. The spring festival is celebrated mainly in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Albania, and Macedonia.