At the close of Wednesday’s NATO summit in Ankara, Erdogan handed each attending leader a vintage revolver and live ammunition, a gesture which was meant to showcase Turkey’s defence industry.

The Belgian prime minister was “a little surprised” to find a handgun and ammunition in his luggage after landing back home.

Images shared by Lithuania’s president’s office showed a Gumusay .357 Magnum, a rare six-shooter made by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s.

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Fine craftsmanship, awkward baggage

The gifts, which were placed in wooden display boxes featuring the Turkish flag and NATO logo, were engraved with each leader’s name.

Spain’s prime minister’s spokesperson said all the leaders received the same model. The revolver given to Britain’s Keir Starmer came with a cleaning kit and 500 bullets, while Belgium’s Bart De Wever turned his over to Brussels airport police for safekeeping.

No ordinary souvenir to declare

Other recipients have been working through their own arrangements. Poland’s president’s office said the weapon was awaiting customs clearance in Warsaw, while the Dutch and Swedish governments said their revolvers were taken to their embassies in Ankara.

Italy’s government had already stored the gun it received with other state gifts, and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen planned to donate hers to a military museum. Greece’s leader intended to send his to the war museum in Athens.

Was it merely a gift or a message?

Turkey’s modern handgun industry mainly produces semi-automatics. This makes the Gumusay something of a collector’s curiosity.

Per the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey was the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, with exports worth about $3 billion over that period, behind only the United States and Italy.

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FAQs

Q1: Why did Erdogan give NATO leaders engraved revolvers?

According to Reuters, the gifts were intended to showcase Turkey’s defence industry and were presented as official summit mementos.

Q2: What happened to the revolvers after the NATO summit?

Several leaders sent the revolvers to police, embassies, museums or customs authorities due to transport and legal requirements.