AKIPRESS.COM - U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Pamela Spratlen congratulated the people of Uzbekistan on Nowruz.

"On behalf of the United States of America and on behalf of the colleagues and friends at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, I wish happiness to everyone on the occasion of Nowruz," said in the message.

"As the spring is now here, I would like to wish everyone peace, good health and success, as we all work together to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our two countries. Nowruz Mubarak!" said Ms Spratlen.

Nowruz marks the first day of spring or Equinox and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. It is celebrated on March 21 by people from diverse ethnic communities and religious backgrounds for thousands of years.

It is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the North Caucasus, Kurdish inhabited regions of eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and other scattered populations in Central and South Asia.