Georgia’s President, PM celebrate Azerbaijani “New Year”

Azerbaijani Pakhlava and tea are an integral part of Novruz feast. Photo by N. Alavidze
Agenda.ge, 21 Mar 2015 - 13:49, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian Azerbaijani people are celebrating their national holiday, Novruz, today.

Novruz is a New Year celebration that symbolises the coming of spring and rejuvenation.

See how Georgian Azerbaijanis celebrate this holiday in Tbilisi in Agenda.ge’s article.

To mark the occasion, today President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili visited Marneuli, a small city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia which is predominantly populated by Georgian Azerbaijanis.

The leaders congratulated locals on their national holiday and promised well-being for each Azerbaijani family in Georgia.

PM Garibashvili said Marneuli was "a very special region of Georgia” as it was populated by "very hardworking and talented” people.

Azerbaijanis are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Georgia. Latest statistics revealed there were about 284,000 Azerbaijani people living in the country.

Traditionally, in Marneuli and other locations where people of both culture live, Georgians and Azerbaijanis celebrate the Novruz holiday together.