Putin Sends Nowruz Greetings to Central Asian Leaders and Iranian Officials, Omits Afghanistan

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulatory messages on Nowruz to the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, according to Russia's state news agency TASS.

In the messages, Putin highlighted the high level of bilateral relations with these countries and expressed hope for expanding multilateral and mutually beneficial cooperation, TASS reported.

Putin also congratulated Iran's new leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian on the holiday, wishing the Iranian people success in overcoming difficult challenges. He emphasized that Moscow would remain a loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran.

A report published by the Kremlin made no reference to any Nowruz greetings sent to Taliban officials or the people of Afghanistan.

The Taliban has banned Nowruz celebrations in Afghanistan and does not observe the first day of Hamal -- previously a public holiday -- as an official holiday.

Nowruz, marking the spring equinox around March 20 or 21, signifies the start of the new year in the solar calendar across many regional countries. The United Nations General Assembly recognized it as International Nowruz Day in 2010, following its inscription on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2009.