President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has congratulated the Azerbaijani people on Novruz holiday.

“Dear fellow countrymen!

I sincerely congratulate you and wish each one of you a sound health, happiness and success in your future activities. Coming from the deepest layers of our past, Novruz was an integral part of our people’s spiritual world and always highly appreciated in the Land of Fires. The traditions of Novruz have an important place among our unique values, which have introduced Azerbaijan as one of the centers of ancient civilization.

Despite the persecutions and pressures in the past, proper preservation of those traditions up to now is one of the exceptional merits of our people before the human civilization. The declaration of Novruz holiday, along with the art of mugham and ashug, as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO is the achievement of every Azerbaijani.

On these days I wish all of you a good mood. I am sending holiday greetings to our fellow compatriots, who have closely united around the ideology of Azerbaijanism and are celebrating this holiday outside Azerbaijan.

May this holiday bring every family abundance and prosperity!

Happy Novruz!