The upcoming Oct. 19 presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has long ceased to be a mere leadership contest. It has become a referendum on identity and direction: whether the Turkish Cypriot community will consolidate its pursuit of sovereign equality and the two-state model, or re-engage with the United Nations framework
Ersin Tatar, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, said that from now on they will not sit at the table for any agreement that does not envisage the “sovereign equality” of the Turkish Cypriot people. Stating that there cannot be a “Cyprus crisis” as claimed and that they do not rise to the