At the Artificial Lake Park, the “Run for Autism” race took place, dedicated to raising awareness about autism. This activity was organized for the second consecutive year by the Embassy of Italy in Tirana, as part of the “Italian Culture Week.” The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, stated that a good city is one that welcomes everyone without distinction.

“Each of us has our own challenges, and some may have more challenges than others. Therefore, my dream is for a city where people believe in the God they want, love the person they want, and solve challenges in the way they see fit because only a city that accepts everyone, without making distinctions, is a good city. I am glad to see how children behave in nurseries, kindergartens, elementary classes, without discrimination, embracing each other as they are,” he said.

The Mayor thanked all those who support such initiatives, emphasizing that within the “Italian Culture Week,” a series of activities are being organized in Tirana.

“We are here to cheer for our angels, the little angels of the city, who despite challenges, are here to run, to prove to us that they do not give up, to show us all that they make the city richer. Without them, the city would not be the big-hearted city it is today. I thank the colleagues of the ‘Italian Culture Week’ because it has been a great lesson of cooperation to run for autism, to show us that culture is not just song and dance; culture is firstly a new mentality, an open mentality, an inclusive mentality. In this week of Italian culture, there will be movies, we have Diodato’s concert, there will be receptions, various activities, but I believe the most beautiful activity is to run for autism because it makes us all initially run in our mentality to be more inclusive, more open-hearted, more open-minded,” Veliaj concluded.

/k.s/