Turkish Cypriot leftist incumbent concedes defeat in runoff to hardliner who favors stronger ties with Turkey

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A hardliner who won a Turkish Cypriot leadership election says he’s ready to resume talks aimed at ending Cyprus’ 46-year ethnic division, as long as rival Greek Cypriots come to grips with Turkey’s regional might. Ersin Tatar, who favors fully aligning Turkish Cypriot policies with those of regional patron Turkey, said Sunday that any peace accord should take into account the “realities” in and around the war-divided east Mediterranean island nation. Tatar also urged the European Union and the United Nations to be “fair” and change tack on how to assist negotiations because their previous approaches have failed. Tatar secured 51.74% of the vote compared to 48.26% for leftist incumbent Mustafa Akinci.