Turkey’s Erdogan Presents Engraved Revolvers to NATO Leaders at Summit

ANKARA, Turkey — Western leaders visited Turkey to discuss security matters but departed with an unexpected memento: revolvers engraved with their names and accompanied by six rounds of ammunition.

The unconventional gift from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed to highlight Ankara’s growing domestic defense industry. However, NATO officials expressed confusion over the presents. Several delegation members were compelled to abandon the firearms due to national import restrictions, while others donated them to museums or police authorities.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quipped, “My maple syrup gift kind of undermatched,” noting the revolver was now under police custody. “I would like to reassure Canadians, they keep guns away from me.”

Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar shared a photo of his engraved revolver on X, captioning it, “An unusual gift from President @RTErdogan at the NATO Summit: a Magnum revolver with ammunition, engraved with my name.” He did not clarify his plans for the weapon.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed her revolver would be decommissioned and donated to a military museum. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a note waiving export controls but left his firearm in Ankara, citing legal barriers to importing it in the UK.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever surrendered his revolver to airport police upon return. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten stored theirs at their embassies for decommissioning. In Italy, the weapon was logged at Palazzo Chigi under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, while Greece planned to donate it to its War Museum.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović learned of his gift only after the summit, with officials opting to transfer it to a police museum. “I didn’t take it. I shoot from different weapons,” he remarked, referencing his political approach. The White House and Erdogan’s office did not comment further.

Turkish media identified the revolvers as the MKE Gumusay .357 Magnum, a legacy six-shot design from the state-owned arms producer. The gift underscores Turkey’s transformation from a major arms importer to an emerging supplier of drones, naval vessels, and fighter jet technology. While gun culture is deeply embedded in Turkish society, domestic gun violence has surged, with over 2,700 incidents reported last year, according to advocacy group Umut Vakfi.

The summit also featured more traditional gifts, including a biography of Erdogan titled “The Politics of Courage: Erdogan and the Rise of Türkiye,” distributed to delegates.

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Stefania Dazio in Berlin, Colleen Barry in Rome, and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.

Source link