Erdogan's Personalized Revolver Gift Stirs NATO Leaders' Reactions

At the conclusion of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each attending leader with a custom revolver engraved with their name, accompanied by six live rounds of ammunition Source: elcaribedr. The gift, described as a "Gümüşay" — the first revolver entirely manufactured in Turkey — came in a wooden box adorned with the Turkish flag and NATO logo Source: elmundoes.

Leaders reacted with surprise and varied responses. Spain's Pedro Sánchez handed his revolver to the Interior Ministry for deactivation and storage Source: elcaribedr. UK's Keir Starmer left his in Ankara, citing strict UK gun laws Source: clarin. Belgium's Bart De Wever only discovered the gift upon landing in Brussels and immediately surrendered it to airport police Source: infobae. Canada's Mark Carney delivered his to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for deactivation, with the ammunition left in Turkey Source: infobae. Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate hers to a military museum after deactivation Source: emolcl. Poland's Karol Nawrocki kept the revolver after customs clearance, assuring "no one will fire it" Source: euronewses.

The gift served as both a diplomatic gesture and a showcase for Turkey's expanding arms industry, which ranks as the world's third-largest exporter of small arms Source: lavanguardia. The Turkish presidency issued special export exemption documents to allow the revolvers' transport, though several countries encountered legal obstacles Source: elcaribedr.