Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Alaköprü Dam in southern Mersin province, which is part of a project that aims to carry fresh water from Turkey to the TRNC via a pipeline, Erdoğan said: "The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will no longer experience shortages of drinking water and agricultural irrigation for a half a century."
Turkey, as a benefactor and protector of the TRNC since its establishment in 1974, has long been planning to provide fresh water to the island, which lacks its own water resources. The project was officially launched in 2011 by President Erdoğan when he was prime minister.
