The first day of spring, called Nowruz (meaning new day) has been traditionally celebrated by the Persian-speaking nations for thousands of years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki accompanied by an Iranian delegation participated in the ceremonies held in the capital city of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, IRNA reported.

The foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Tajikistan were also present in the celebrations also attended by the ambassadors of the foreign countries in Afghanistan as well a large number of Afghan people from different walks of life.

In his message to the ceremony read by the minister of information and culture, the Afghan president Hamid Karzai invited his nation to lead a life of peace and fraternity in the coming year and urged them to do their best to bring development and advancement to the country.

Mottaki arrived in Afghanistan on Friday and met with his Afghan and Tajik counterparts in Kabul.

He also participated in the inauguration ceremonies of a number of construction and cultural projects which have been completed with Iran+s contribution.

The Iranian foreign minister took part in a tripartite meeting also attended by the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Tajikistan and signed a 24-article statement with them which underlined expansion of cooperation between the three nations.

The governments of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran agreed to further boost cooperation, including tourism among the three neighboring states.