ISLAMABAD: Serena Hotels held a colorful Nowruz celebration event in collaboration with the diplomatic missions of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the banner of its Cultural Diplomacy Initiative. Nowruz which means ‘new day’ is an ancient celebration of spring dating back to around 3000 years; today it celebrated by around 300 million people belonging to different faiths and ethnicities across the world. In 2010 the United Nations adopted a resolution to officially recognize the International Day of Nowruz. The event included beautiful cultural performances as well as stalls by the participating countries featuring their local handicrafts and heritage products. The First Lady Mrs. Samina Arif Alvi was the Chief Guest at the occasion. A number of notable dignitaries from the Diplomatic Corps, Government and Corporate Sector also attended the event. CEO Serena Hotels South and Central Asia Mr. Aziz Boolani thanked the First Lady and the collaborating countries as well as the attendees for their participation. “At Serena Hotels, we believe in creating positive linkages that can bring value to the society, and our various Diplomacy initiatives follow this overarching mission. The Nowruz event at Serena Hotels has become a yearly feature and a unique platform for the Nowruz celebrating countries to come together to celebrate this UN-recognized festival collectively,” he said. “Nowruz, a spring festival that has been celebrated across different regions since centuries, reminds us of what we have in common,” said H.E. Atadjan Movlamov, Dean of Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan, thanking the First Lady Mrs. Samina Arif Alvi for her participation. “Today’s event shows that Pakistan stands for peace, development and progress.”