The two-day summit also had an unusual moment. In addition to the focus on defense and increasing the security of the Alliance, what also attracted attention was Erdogan's unusual gift at the NATO summit. He gave the leaders revolvers with ammunition!

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised NATO leaders with a gift at the end of the summit in Ankara, giving each a personalized Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver, engraved with the recipient's name and accompanied by ammunition, causing legal and security challenges for some European delegations.

 

According to reports, the revolvers were placed in wooden boxes with the Turkish flag and NATO logo, along with a cleaning kit and cartridges.

The gift was intended to promote the Turkish defense industry, but it immediately faced legal restrictions on the import and possession of weapons in several European countries.

One of the most commented cases was that of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who, according to Reuters, only learned about the contents of the box upon his return.

Upon arrival in Belgium, the gun and ammunition were immediately handed over to airport police and placed in a secure vault, pending a final decision.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Dutch counterpart decided to leave their revolvers in Turkey, near their countries' diplomatic missions.

 


The weapons are expected to undergo complete deactivation before being transported, as their legislation does not allow the import of functional weapons.

The European Union institutions also faced the same situation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will store the revolver in a controlled environment and then plans to deactivate it and donate it to a military museum.

For the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, standard procedures for registering official gifts were followed, as the value of the weapon exceeds the 150 euro limit allowed for personal gifts for European officials.

According to Reuters, Erdogan's gesture is seen as a way to promote the Turkish arms industry, at a time when Turkey ranks among the largest exporters of small arms in the world.

However, the gift has opened up debate over diplomatic protocols and how to handle firearms as official gifts.

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