The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, participated tonight at the opening of the "Green Fest" festival in Mitrovica.

In her address to the participants, Acting President Haxhiu said: "I am glad to be with you tonight at Green Fest, right here in Mitrovica, which is known to many as the city of miners."

"But, before it became a city of miners, Mitrovica was a city of meeting points. Here, where the Ibër and Sitnica rivers meet, trade routes intersected and later were joined by the railway that connected the city of Mitrovica with many other places," said Acting President Haxhiu.

She further added that with the establishment of Trepça, miners, engineers and families from different parts of Kosovo, but also beyond, came, and they brought with them their language, customs, music, but also their experiences.

"From this movement, a city with a rich urban life was born, with cinema, theater, jazz and rock music, with artists and writers who left an indelible mark on our culture. I believe that Green Fest also belongs to this tradition of Mitrovica. For 16 years, it has brought together music, art, young people, ideas and conversations about the city of Mitrovica itself.

During all these years, Green Fest has constantly returned to what is closest to Mitrovica, to the rivers that run through the city, to the lands, to the consequences that industry has left and this year to biodiversity", emphasized Acting President Haxhiu.

She also said that these are things that are in front of our eyes every day and perhaps we do not see them enough.

According to her, precisely when we talk about biodiversity, we are talking about everything that surrounds us, about plants, about birds, fish, insects, about water, about the land, which enables them to live, but also about the connections between them.

"Often nature is lost little by little, without us noticing. A river can flow as before, while within it there is less and less life. Therefore, biodiversity is also a political issue. The state of water, land and air cannot depend only on the care of each of us, but for them we need accurate data, control, strict and concrete measures and responsibility as well as from institutions", said Acting President Haxhiu.

She further said that in nature no species survives alone, adding that, at the end of the day, biodiversity is also a story of coexistence.

"And in Mitrovica, this word is related to the very history of this city. For many years, differences have become borders and people have become accustomed to seeing the city from different sides. But, Mitrovica has been a city where rivers, work, knowledge, but also culture have met. This is the Mitrovica that we should remember more often and bring to the fore again", emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. She further said that Kosovo institutions are working every day for Mitrovica.

"Culture is also returning to the spaces that belong to it. The 'Muharrem Qena' theater has been renovated, the 'Adem Jashari' stadium is being rebuilt, while the house of the famous Mitrovica poet Latif Berisha will be transformed into a museum. But the city is not only made up of roads, bridges, schools or theaters, it is also made up of the people who fill them with life, artists, musicians, organizers, young men and women, all those who for years have been creating spaces where Mitrovica meets itself, but also with others", said Acting President Haxhiu.

In the end, Acting President Haxhiu said that Green Fest has been giving the city music, art, ideas and new reasons to come together for many years, and perhaps this is precisely how Mitrovica is slowly emerging from the shadow of division, creating more and more things that unite us.

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