Sanaa: Fifty-two years ago, just after the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, workers at the Ata Industrial Estate in the Turkish capital Ankara dedicated their production workshops to the Turkish Armed Forces, manufacturing critical military spare parts as Trkiye faced sweeping arms embargoes. According to Anadolu Agency, Ziya Yalcin, 75, who worked at the industrial estate at the time, shared his experiences. He mentioned that as a young man who had just completed his military service, he felt compelled to support Turkish troops through his factory work. "My mentor told us about the embargo, and we decided to mobilize," Yalcin said. Workshop owners pledged their equipment and skills before the General Staff invited them to produce urgently needed military components under the Turkish Land Forces Command. "We produced for 45 days. Most of what we made were parts for military vehicles. Later, they told us: 'Thank you. We're stopping production because our needs have been more than met'," Yalcin recounted. He adde d that then-Land Forces Commander Gen. Esref Akinci expressed gratitude to the volunteers, acknowledging their remarkable achievement of producing in 45 days what would normally take six months. Orhan Aydin, who chairs the board of directors in Ankara's OSTIM industrial zone, remarked on the enduring spirit of solidarity that emerged during the operation. He highlighted the significant contributions of OSTIM companies to Trkiye's defense industry projects, emphasizing the growth and capabilities of the industry. "Back then our resources were limited. Today, there is virtually nothing that cannot be produced in OSTIM," he stated. Trkiye launched the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, after invoking its rights as a guarantor state following attacks on Turkish Cypriots. The operation led to international sanctions and arms embargoes, spurring investment in Trkiye's domestic defense industry. Cyprus has been embroiled in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite UN diplo matic efforts for a resolution. Ethnic tensions in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots into enclaves. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece prompted Trkiye's military intervention to protect Turkish Cypriots, leading to the foundation of the TRNC in 1983. The island has seen intermittent peace processes, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland involving Trkiye, Greece, and the UK. The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots blocked a UN plan to resolve the dispute.