NICOSIA – The Serbian company EXIT withdrew from a music festival in the Turkish-occupied territories in Cyprus following a systematic and discreet diplomatic effort by the Republic of Cyprus aimed at preventing an international event from being used to legitimize the occupation regime in illegally occupied Kyrenia.
Government sources cited by the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said that the contacts have now opened the possibility of the event itself being relocated to the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus.
According to the same sources, from the outset the effort focused on highlighting the problematic nature of holding an international event in occupied Kyrenia, given the potential for it to be exploited by the Turkish occupation regime.
EXIT’s decision to withdraw was described as a substantive result of that effort. Particular significance was attached to the fact that, according to the company’s announcement and as a result of the contacts that took place, it now appears to have a much clearer understanding of the historical and political realities of Cyprus and of the particular significance of occupied Kyrenia.
Even more significant is the company representatives’ expressed intention to explore the possibility of relocating the event to the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus, the sources said.
The same sources described the development as a characteristic example of what targeted diplomacy can achieve when pursued with persistence, discretion and a clear objective.
Material from ANA-MPA was used in this report.
