EXIT Pulls Out Of International Nexus Festival In Kyrenia Castle Following ELAM Pressure

According to Cyprus Mail, Serbian music company EXIT has withdrawn from the Nexus electronic music festival, which was scheduled to take place at Kyrenia Castle on September 18, following diplomatic and political pressure over the event.

ELAM MEP Geadis Geadi said organisers informed him on Wednesday that they were withdrawing from the festival and that an official apology was expected in the coming days.

The festival, which was planned as part of the EXIT World Tour, was scheduled to feature Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz, Italian duo Mathame, Cairo-based DJ Baset and Polish-born producer ANII.

Geadi said organisers informed him on Wednesday morning that they had decided to withdraw from the event and that an official apology was expected in the coming days.

He said the decision followed a series of initiatives he undertook after ELAM criticised the planned event at Kyrenia Castle on Wednesday.

CONTACTS WITH SERBIAN AUTHORITIES

According to information provided by Geadi, he first contacted Serbian embassies in Cyprus, Brussels and Switzerland. He later held talks with Serbian government officials, who told him they had no current connection with either the event or its organisers, he said.

Geadi said he subsequently held a conference call on Monday involving the festival organisers and their legal advisers.

During the call, the organisers apologised and expressed their intention to withdraw from the event, Geadi said, adding that contacts were continuing.

Geadi also said he briefed the Ambassador of Serbia to Cyprus on his contacts and continued discussions with the relevant parties. He said the decision to withdraw from the event was definitively communicated to him on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We chose not to make any of our actions public until a final outcome was reached,” Geadi said, describing the result as “another important outcome for Cyprus.”

POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO FESTIVAL

EXIT’s decision came after several days of political opposition to the planned festival.

DISY MEP Loucas Fourlas had called on Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to intervene over the event.

Fourlas, who also chairs the European Parliament committee responsible for relations with Serbia, argued that holding an international music event at Kyrenia Castle could contribute to the recognition and normalisation of the administration in the north.

Fourlas said Cyprus was not opposed to cultural exchanges but argued that culture should not be used as “a tool for the recognition or strengthening of illegal separatist structures.”

GREEK CYPRIOT KYRENIA MAYOR ALSO CALLED ON GOVERNMENT TO INTERVENE

Greek Cypriot Kyrenia Mayor Akis Violaris also called on the government to intervene in comments to Cyprus Mail.

Violaris described Kyrenia Castle as “a monument of the country’s historical and cultural heritage” and expressed concern over the participation of European artists in the event.

The Foreign Ministry had also raised the issue through diplomatic channels, according to information reported by the Cyprus News Agency and attributed to a source at the Deputy Ministry of Culture.

DIKO also condemned the planned event, arguing that “international festivals held in the occupied areas should not be viewed merely as cultural or entertainment events.”

The party claimed that promoting such events internationally could increase public familiarity with the existing situation in the occupied areas.

EXIT HAD PLANNED TO HOLD FESTIVAL AT KYRENIA CASTLE

EXIT had described Nexus as its first festival experience in Cyprus. The choice of Kyrenia Castle was reportedly part of the company’s practice of staging events at significant historical sites.

Following the organisers’ decision to withdraw, the event is no longer expected to take place. EXIT is expected to issue an official statement in the coming days.