(ANSA) - UDINE, 29 AGO - Remembering the historic meeting of a year ago at the foiba of Basovizza, where he held hands with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, the President of Slovenia Borut Pahor began his speech yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 30th edition of the Mittelfest in Cividale del Friuli (Udine), on the theme "Heirs," which until September 5 will present theater, dance and music performances from Mitteleurope. The governor of the Fvg Region, Massimiliano Fedriga, welcomed Pahor.

"When a year ago, President Mattarella and I held hands in front of the foiba of Basovizza - Pahor said - we felt we had the support of the peoples fighting for peace: we wanted to be the heirs of their successes and aspirations. So we chose the noblest inheritance - he added - the one that treasures the past for a better future for our children".

Governor Fedriga underlined that "the word heirs encompasses the meaning of responsibility for what we receive and also for what we hand down to future generations. Therefore, I thank President Pahor - he added - because the Slovenian people are a symbol of this responsibility." Pahor arrived in Cividale at the invitation of the President of the Mitteleuropa Association, Paolo Petiziol, with whom Mittelfest also collaborates to organize the FVG-Slovenia Forum scheduled for August 31.

The opening ceremony was attended by the mayor of Cividale del Friuli, Daniela Bernardi, the regional councilor for Culture, Tiziana Gibelli, the director of the Mittelfest Giacomo Pedini, the chairman of the Mittelfest association, Roberto Corciulo, and the Prefect of Udine Massimo Marchesiello, who officially gave the Festival the Medal of the President of the Republic.

Yesterday the festival presented a new 'episode' of "Remote Cividale," the touring show of Rimini Protokoll (Germany), the national premiere of "Mnémosyne" by the choreographer and visual artist of Hungarian origin Josef Nadj (both will be repeated tomorrow), and the premiere of the play by Lino Guanciale, "Europeana." Today's program includes the national premiere of "Once Upon a Song in Balkans," a performance in which Tijana Vignjević (voice) and Belma Alić (cello) combine musical styles and languages of traditional Balkan music with classical and contemporary sounds. Furthermore, the Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the Turkish pianist Fazil Say will perform in a concert dedicated to Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, and Leoš Janáček, focusing on "Felix Austria" and the wounds inflicted on Europe by WW1. (ANSA).