Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi extended his congratulations to his Russian counterpart Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov on the advent of the new year. In his message, Salehi congratulated Lavrov on the advent of the birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ and the Christian new year. \"I would like to extend my congratulations on the advent of the new Christian year,\" Salehi said. To conclude his message, the Iranian foreign minister expressed the hope that the world would witness the spread of peace and justice in 2012.