Esra Kaymak
20 March 2016•Update: 22 March 2016
By Esra Kaymak Avci
WASHINGTON
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry released Saturday a statement celebrating the Iranian New Year Nevruz, which also marks the beginning of spring.
"I am delighted to join President [Barack] Obama in wishing a happy, healthy, and prosperous Nowruz to all our friends around the world who celebrate this holiday," he said in a written statement.
Saying that American communities celebrate Nevruz, along with peoples from Iran to Central Asia and the Caucasus, Kerry called Nevruz "a time of renewal and reconciliation".
"For those of us in the United States, this day is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of hundreds of thousands of Iranian Americans, who have made their mark in business, public service, law, medicine, research, music, and more," he said.
"For the people of Iran, we hope this Nowruz will prove the start of a better future."
Kerry also touched on the nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers last year, saying it will "ensure Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful, in exchange for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions."
He added that "every new year, and every spring should commence in hope."
Nevruz has been celebrated in the Balkans, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and most parts of Asia for hundreds of years, marking the beginning of spring. It is the first day of the first month, Farvardin, on the Iranian calendar.
