[5] Denktaş was born in Paphos to Turkish Cypriot parents, judge Raif Mehmet Bey and Emine Hanim.

[6] In November 1963 President Makarios gave for review to Turkey, Greece and Britain a document with a series of constitutional amendments designed to loosen the acquired rights of Turkish Cypriots in the name of "the workings of the state".

Denktaş was subsequently elected speaker of the legislature in 1975,[6] and then President of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus in 1976 and for a second term in 1981.

He played a key role in the 1983 Unilateral Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and was elected as the President of the TRNC in 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000.

Denktaş had been the chief negotiator of Turkish Cypriots in the United Nations sponsored peace talks since 1968.

By 2000, the desire of both Cyprus and Turkey to join the European Union led to renewed efforts to reach a settlement.

In February 2004 Denktaş embarked on a new round of UN sponsored talks with the Greek Cypriots, aimed at re-uniting Cyprus.

Between the years 1949 and 1957 he wrote many articles for the newspaper Halkın Sesi ("Voice of the People"), published by Fazıl Küçük, the first Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.

[citation needed] Denktaş has been the recipient of many awards and honorary doctorates given by various universities in Turkey, Northern Cyprus and the United States.