DUSHANBE, March 26, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon today left for Kabul to participate in an international festival on the occasion of Navrouz.
Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sharif Rahimzoda, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda, Minister of Transport Khairullo Asozoda, Minister of Culture Shamsiddin Orumbekov, Presidential Aide for Foreign Policy Erkin Rahmatulloyev and some other high-ranking state officials are accompanying President Rahmon on his trip to Afghanistan.
While in Kabul, President Rahmon is also scheduled to hold a number of bilateral talks, the Tajik president’s official website reports.
The Afghan capital of Kabul is expected to host the 5th International Navrouz Festival on March 27 and the festival will be also attended by the heads of state from Azerbaijan, Iran and Kazakhstan as well as high-ranking delegations from eleven other countries.
We will recall that the first and second International Navrouz Festivals were held in Iran’s capital of Tehran in 2010 and 2011, Dushanbe hosted the third such gathering in 2012 and the 4th International Navrouz Festival took place Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) in 2013.
The UN”s General Assembly in 2010 recognized the International Day of Navrouz, describing it as a spring festival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. During the meeting of The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of the United Nations, held between September 28 and October 2, 2009 in Abu Dhabi, Navrouz was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
