Cancellation of Nexus music festival in Kyrenia causes political friction

The Nexus music festival, which was organized by the Serbian company EXIT and scheduled for February 18 in the occupied city of Kyrenia, has been canceled. The event's cancellation follows what officials in the occupied territories describe as political pressure exerted by the Greek Cypriot leadership on Serbia.

Murat Sengul, the official acting as the 'mayor' of Kyrenia, expressed regret over the cancellation and criticized the Greek Cypriot side for allegedly attempting to isolate Turkish Cypriots from international cultural and sports activities. He stated that entrepreneurs and local youth had invested significant effort into the event. Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot 'prime minister', Unal Ustel, condemned the move as part of a broader, systemic effort by the Greek Cypriot administration to undermine the rights and international contacts of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Despite the cancellation, Sengul has pledged that his administration will collaborate with EXIT to organize an even larger international event at the same location on the same date next year. Ustel further asserted that such pressures would not force his administration to abandon its claims to sovereignty or statehood in the region.