Serbian music company EXIT has withdrawn from the planned Nexus electronic music festival at Kyrenia Castle, Elam MEP Geadis Geadi said on Wednesday, following diplomatic and political pressure over the event.

The festival was scheduled for September 18 as part of the EXIT World Tour, with international electronic music acts including Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz, Italian duo Mathame, Cairo based DJ Baset and Polish born producer ANII due to perform.

Geadi relayed the organisers informed him on Wednesday morning that they were withdrawing from the event and that an official apology was expected within the coming days.

He attributed the decision to a series of interventions he made after Elam first raised the issue on Wednesday, when the party condemned the planned event at the Kyrenia Castle.

According to Geadi, he contacted Serbian embassies in Cyprus, Brussels and Switzerland before speaking with Serbian government officials, who told him they had no current involvement with the event or its organisers.

He subsequently arranged a telephone conference with the organisers and their legal adviser on Monday.

During the discussion, the organisers apologised and expressed their intention to withdraw, he said.

Geadi also said he informed the Cypriot ambassador to Serbia of his contacts and continued discussions with those involved before receiving confirmation of the withdrawal on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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

The announcement follows several days of political opposition to the festival.

Disy MEP Loukas Fourlas had urged Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to intervene, arguing that holding an international music event at Kyrenia Castle could contribute to the recognition and normalisation of the administration in the north.

Fourlas, who chairs the European Parliament committee responsible for relations with Serbia, said Cyprus had no objection to cultural exchanges but argued that culture should not be used “as a tool for recognising or strengthening illegal separatist structures”.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Kyrenia mayor Akis Violaris had also called for government intervention, describing the castle as “a monument of historical and cultural heritage of our country” and expressing concern over the participation of European artists.

The foreign ministry has likewise handled the matter through diplomatic channels, according to a source at the deputy cultural ministry cited by the Cyprus News Agency.

Diko had similarly condemned the planned event, saying “international festivals in the occupied areas should not be treated simply as cultural or entertainment events” and arguing that international promotion could familiarise audiences with the realities of the occupation.

EXIT had promoted Nexus as the first Cyprus edition of its festival experience, with the choice of Kyrenia Castle forming part of its general trend of staging events at prominent historic locations.

The organisers’ withdrawal means the event will no longer take place, with an official announcement from EXIT expected in the coming days.