Ersin Tatar’s claim that Ankara would never accept Tufan Erhürman’s election as Turkish Cypriot leader has been undercut by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Speaking on his return from Qatar, Erdoğan implied that whoever wins the community’s “presidential elections,” Turkey will work with them.
Pressed by journalists on whether the result could jeopardize Turkey’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean, Erdoğan avoided naming candidates but underlined that Turkey’s guarantor rights, recognised under international law and UN resolutions, safeguard the status of the regime in north and its maritime claims “regardless of which political party comes to power.” He wished the elections well.
Tatar’s camp has used the fear that Erhürman’s election would damage ties with Ankara, invoking the north’s dependence on Turkish funding. But Erdoğan’s stance forces a shift: the argument now centers on Erhürman’s different positions on the Cyprus issue. National Unity Party leader and “prime minister” Ünal Üstel sought to spin Erdoğan’s words into support for a two-state solution, claiming federation means “no guarantor,” while guarantees “mean two states.”
In statements, former TC leader Mustafa Akıncı noted that the Treaty of Guarantee affirms Cyprus’ independence, territorial integrity, and constitutional order. “Such statements are either ignorance or distortion for electoral purposes,” he warned, urging politicians to inform, not mislead, during elections.
Tatar himself admitted Erdoğan could not publicly endorse him, but insisted the two-state policy remains coordinated with Ankara.