When she first got an invitation to perform at a cultural festival in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian singer Rona Nishliu had mixed feelings.

Kosovo and Serbia, from which Kosovo declared unilateral independence in 2008, had bitter experiences in the recent past.

Anyway she decided to respond positively in the hope that her presentation will have a positive outcome in a broader sense.

And, it certainly did.

She performed at the festival "Miredita, Dobar dan" (Good day) that ended on Sunday organized in Serbian capital in honor of Bekim Fehmiu, Kosovo-born actor of international fame who lived, worked and died in Belgrade.

In a unique way she performed popular Albanian songs with jazz style, in a way she practised in many occasions in her concerts throughout the region.

Her performance was very positively reported by local media in Serbia, as well as back in Kosovo.

Now, back to Pristina, she said she was very pleased with her performance and the hospitality she received in Belgrade.

"Through my musical journey, I tried to help the audience understand where he (Bekim Fehmiu) came from and also wanted to make them realize that we are not that different," says Nishliu.

She said she was delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this event, a chance to present Albanian culture in Belgrade.

"The Belgrade Philharmonic Hall was full of people waiting anxiously and with a lot of interest for my concert," Nishliu said, adding that applauds and reactions were very positively after each song.

All inter-cultural relations between Kosovo and Serbia had been suspended following the break-up of former Yugoslavia in early 1990s. Some minor activities were launched in recent years, but the festival is a significant step forward.

Nishliu believed that this is the best way to regain the artistic understanding that is lacking between the two sides.

"Art and artists can make miracles, always, if they are free from any schemes," Nishliu said firmly.

Nishliu was born in Mitrovica. She represented Albania in Eurosong contest 2012 in Azerbaijan, securing the best ever placement for the Balkan country in the competition.

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