Dear compatriots!

I heartily congratulate you on the occasion of Novruz and wish each one of you good health, happiness and the spring mood.

The holiday of spring, a treasure trove of national identity and spirituality, is a priceless gift of our wise ancestors to the present generations. This people’s holiday is associated with a constant harmony and eternal laws of the universe. It is a vivid embodiment of our centuries-old culture which has stood the test of time. The traditions of Novruz hold a special place in our values and, have become an integral part of the thinking of our people. Novruz calls for communication, enhances sincerity among members of society and generates high moral qualities. As a result of this, it has been included as the bearer of the highest human qualities on the list of the universal cultural heritage.

Even the most difficult periods of our past have not erased from our minds of the holiday of spring, which has helped us preserve our faith in the future. Embedded in the depths of our souls, it has retained the ideology of national identity, which is why it is one of the important contributors to the realization of the ideals of independent statehood in Azerbaijan at the end of the last century. The worthy preservation of all colorful and ancient rites of Novruz, which have absorbed the richness of our spiritual culture in a rapidly changing and globalizing world, is a symbol of modern Azerbaijan’s attachment to the historical, cultural and national spiritual heritage.

The arrival of spring is characterized by large-scale creative and landscaping work carried out in accordance with its spirit of renewal in every corner of our land, and many achievements which radically improve the well-being of our people.

Together with us, the spring in the light of ideology of Azerbaijanism is seen in by thousands of our countrymen away from the country. Let this nationwide holiday, which is a symbol of our solidarity, give each household a lot of joy and prosperity.

Happy Novruz!

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 18 March 2014