Diplomat: Tehran to Keep Supporting Sarajevo

Addressing a ceremony attended by Muftis of Travnik and Banja Luka and hundreds of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark Nowruz, the first day of year in the Persian calendar, Heidari wished stability and progress for Bosnian people, saying Iranian government and people will stand by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said Nowruz is the sign of cultural beauty and reinforces international peace, adding that whatever causes friendships and removes displeasures is welcomed.

As a symbol of human values, Nowruz has turned out to be a factor to link various nations, he added.

He also referred to recent terrorist attack in New Zealand as the result of promoting Islamophobia in the world.

Nowruz is a welcoming event which reinforces world peace and foils Islamophobia propaganda, he noted.

In a related front, in Geneva on Thursday, Iran and ten other countries which celebrate Nowruz held a ceremony at the World Intellectual Property Organization building, marking the beginning of the Persian New Year and arrival of spring.

During the ceremony, Iranian Ambassador to UN office at Geneva Esmayeel Baqayee delivered a speech on behalf of the 11 countries which celebrate Nowruz, discussing the philosophy of Nowruz and the importance of getting inspiration from this ancient rite to promote solidarity, friendship and mutual respect among nations.

Baqayee described Nowruz as the bearer of this universal message of welcoming transformation and renewal, and perceiving the dependency of human beings on nature and the environment.

The Nowruz ceremony in Geneva was attended by more than 2000 people, including ambassadors and diplomats, officials and staff from international organizations and Iranians living in Switzerland.

In addition to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which coordinated the ceremony, representatives from Afghanistan, Iraq, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey also participated in the event.

Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar (this year started on March 21), is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

The International Day of Nowruz was registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on February 23, 2010.

For Iranians, Nowruz is a celebration of renewal and change, a time to visit relatives and friends, and pay respect to senior family members.

Iranians welcome the New Year by wearing new clothes and setting the Haft Seen, a table containing seven data-x-items starting with the letter 'S'; Sabzeh (freshly grown greens), Samanu (sweet wheat paste), Senjed (jujube), Seeb (apple), Seer (garlic), Serkeh (vinegar) and Somaq (sumac).

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