13-day Nowruz festival kicks off worldwide.

ISLAMABAD -- The 13-day new year's festival of Nowruz kicked off on Thursday across the world, including West Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, India and Pakistan.

The the Persian New Year festival having a 3,000-year history, is celebrated every year on March 21, the first day of spring, by some 300 million people featuring unique customs and traditions of particular regions and civilizations.

Through values of peace, solidarity, reconciliation, neighbourliness, and mutual respect, the Nowruz festival strengthens ties among communities encouraging acceptance of cultural diversity and understanding.

The United Nations General Assembly in 2010 unanimously adopted a resolution moved by Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Albania, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan declaring March 21 as the 'International Day of Nowruz' with the objective of fostering closer relations among nations.

A United Nations post on its Twitter...