ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the cases of Northern Cyprus and Transdniestria to explore how the sovereignty trap impacts their attempts to acquire some kind of formal status on the international arena. The chapter first explores the question of how the authorities of Northern Cyprus and Transdniestria frame their foreign policy priorities. The chapter then outlines their attempts at integration within regional organisations as well as at cultivation of bilateral relations through the establishment of missions abroad and by other means at hand. While still constrained by the territorial ideal of an inter-state system, the chapter observes the importance of regional connections, historical and personal ties and performative aspects that matter for the ways in which unrecognised diplomacy is practised. The chapter concludes with a short discussion of areas for further research.
