Meeting of the Presidents Participating in the Global Nowruz Celebration

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

We welcome the esteemed Presidents and heads of delegations and all the brothers present at this meeting. May your holiday be blessed.

Dear friends, good brothers, and neighboring companions, you have chosen a very good occasion for gathering and exchanging views on various issues. Nowruz is an Eastern holiday and carries prominent and distinguished values. In fact, Nowruz is a symbol; a symbol of innovation, freshness, youth, and vitality, as well as a symbol of kindness and love towards one another, the visiting of brothers, the affection of families towards each other, strengthening the bonds of friendship and kindness among friends and acquaintances, and dispelling enmities; because spring is the manifestation of freshness, the manifestation of vitality, and all these meanings are indeed present in spring. This is an advantage for our nations that they have designated Nowruz as the beginning of their new year, the starting point of history; because it carries these distinguished meanings.

This celebration is a national celebration; it is not among the religious holidays; however, it has also been endorsed by the great figures of our sacred law. We have numerous narrations that celebrate Nowruz and honor the day of Nowruz. This has made Nowruz a means for expressing human servitude before the Lord and our humility before the Lord. In fact, it is an opportunity for individuals to refresh their hearts with the remembrance of God.

In our country, it is customary; for many years, on the day of Nowruz and the moment of transition, people gather in places of worship, shrines, and spiritual centers to seek goodness from the Almighty God, to ask for blessings; they request a good year for themselves and for others from the Almighty God. Therefore, Nowruz is a very valuable and distinguished occasion; both spiritually, nationally, and internationally among the nations that honor Nowruz.

This year, the fact that Nowruz has been registered as an international celebration has the great virtue of being a gift from our nations to the nations of the world and to the Western nations, and the transfer of this culture to them. Although, unfortunately, it has become customary that the cultural flow always comes from that side. They have become accustomed to exporting their culture to our countries and the Eastern countries; however, the East is rich and overflowing with the high values of culture; how much better it would be if these could be exported; if they could be gifted to the world. Eastern nations have had many distinguished and prominent values throughout history, and this opportunity should arise for them to gift these to the nations of the world; and this is one of those occasions.

I highly value this gathering that our dear friends, our good brothers, have formed in Tehran this year - thanks to the esteemed government and our esteemed President, Mr. Ahmadinejad - for this reason, as it is a means to bring the governments of this region and the nations of this region closer together. Unfortunately, today some of the great powers are seeking to create crises among nations; they create crises among brother nations; they set brother nations against each other. They portray that the interests of these nations are in conflict with one another. The reality is something else; the reality is that the interests of our nations are not only not in conflict with one another, but they are also supportive and mutually reinforcing. We can be together, help each other, and form a valuable global and cultural entity with international power. This gathering of yours today and its continuation in the coming years, God willing, will also help with this.

We welcome the strengthening of communications between the countries of this region, neighboring countries that share a common culture, and we will assist it with all our might. Whenever any of our neighboring countries in the East, West, North, and South are strengthened, we feel that this is to our benefit. Whenever they can show a prominent identity in these great global issues, in these conflicts that exist, we become proud; we become happy. We will help, God willing, and may the Almighty God also assist all of us.

I pray for all the dear brothers and ask God to increase the dignity of Islamic countries and the countries of this region day by day, and to make our hearts more affectionate towards one another and to strengthen our hands in each other so that we can accomplish great tasks.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.