Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar is to travel to the Gambia on Thursday ahead of the 15th Islamic summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The summit is set to be held on Saturday and Sunday in the Gambia’s capital Banjul and will be attended by high-level representatives of the OIC’s 57 member states and five observers.

The north, under the name “Turkish Cypriot State”, is one of the OIC’s five observers.

Tatar’s office said he will “request support from the OIC’s member states to end the inhumane policies of isolated implemented by the Greek Cypriot leadership against the Turkish Cypriot people.”

Additionally, he will hold a series of bilateral meetings with contacts on the sidelines of the summit, telling them about his demands for “sovereign equality and equal international status” for the Turkish Cypriots.