ΝΙCOSIA — The new hard line leader of the occupied northern third of Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, will use his time at the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly to push his demand the divided island stay that way – but with recognition for the isolated territory no other country besides Turkey accepts.

Tatar, who ousted a moderate Mustafa Akinci in October, 2020 elections with the help of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he won't even talk about reunification any more after that approach has failed for decades.

He will be at the UN with Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, all three stepping up their insistence that the UN and world recognize the invaded territory, where Turkey keeps a 35,000-strong standing army.

Turkey's pro-government newspaper The Daily Sabah said that Tatar, speaking to reporters in Izmir, where he arrived to commemorate the Turkish forces’ offensive pushed Greece out of Anatolia in 1922, Tatar said about Cyprus that, “There is no partnership anymore. A federal-based understanding couldn’t be reached but even if it was found, that would mean the majority ruling over a minority,” he said, which is generally how it happens in countries.

He said will try to persuade UN officials that his idea is the only sound proposal after the last round of unification talks collapsed in July, 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana – over the Turkish army's presence and demands by Erdogan and Akinci for the further right of military intervention again.