Turkish president sends Nowruz message, hopes for peace across region

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a video message on Saturday to the March 21 Nowruz Commemoration Program, expressing hope that the occasion would contribute to ending conflicts in the region.

In his message to the event held at Kamil Ocak Sports Hall in Türkiye's southeastern Gaziantep province, Erdogan congratulated those celebrating Nowruz across the "heartland and cultural geography."

He described Nowruz as a harbinger of spring and a symbol of nature's rebirth, expressing his wish that it brings peace, prosperity, and well-being to Türkiye, the broader region, and all humanity.

Erdogan said he was pleased to see Nowruz becoming a symbol of new beginnings not only for Türkiye but also for its neighbors.

"We gather around the Nowruz fire with the same feelings in all 81 provinces and across the Turkic world," he said, adding that Nowruz has been established as a shared day to strengthen this sense of unity.

He also noted that Türkiye will host the 13th summit of the Family Council in 2026, aiming to further build on this momentum.

Erdogan extended his greetings to "all our friends and brothers from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan, from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan, from Turkmenistan to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Hungary."

"I also congratulate our Syrian, Iraqi, and our Iranian brothers, who are currently struggling with the problems caused by war, on Nowruz, and I hope that this meaningful day will contribute to ending the wars in our region," he said.

"I wish that the spring climate brought by Nowruz brings hope to our hearts, peace to our societies, and peace to our world," he added.