New Delhi: A personalized revolver, live ammunition and a diplomatic farewell have together created one of the most unusual highlights to emerge from the Nato summit in Ankara. The firearms, gifted by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to fellow leaders at the end of the meeting, have since triggered customs clearances, security reviews and government decisions over where the weapons should be kept.
The gift included a Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver engraved with each leader’s name, displayed in a wooden case featuring the Turkish flag and the Nato logo. As the firearms began travelling across borders, several governments opted to place them in police custody, leave them at embassies, move them into official state collections or prepare them for museum display instead of taking immediate possession.
Leaders react to Erdogan’s unusual gift
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, was among the first leaders to publicly acknowledge the gift, saying he had received the personalized revolver while travelling back from Ankara. Downing Street later said the presentation also included a cleaning kit and ammunition.
The office of the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, confirmed that every participating leader received the same model with their names engraved on the barrel. The Slovak president, Peter Pellegrini, even displayed the revolver to reporters while travelling home.
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, joked that his customary gift of maple syrup looked modest in comparison. Saying he had not personally handled the firearm, Carney added that the revolver had been deactivated and could eventually be placed in Canada’s national war museum.
Police custody, customs checks and museum plans
Once leaders returned home, the revolvers followed different paths depending on national laws and government decisions. The Belgian prime minister, Bart De Wever, handed his firearm to airport police for secure storage, while Polish officials said theirs remains under customs clearance before being transferred to an appropriate government facility.
The Netherlands and Sweden left their revolvers at their embassies in Ankara until legal import procedures are completed, with Dutch authorities planning to deactivate the firearm before bringing it into the country. The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, placed her gift with her country’s collection of official state presents at Palazzo Chigi.
The European Union president, Ursula von der Leyen, plans to donate her revolver to a military museum, while Greece intends to display its gift at the War Museum in Athens.
The unusual farewell also highlighted Turkey’s growing defence industry. Produced by Turkish state-owned arms manufacturer MKE, the Gumusay .357 Magnum represents one of the country’s early domestically manufactured revolvers. By choosing it as a state gift, Erdogan used the Nato gathering to put Turkey’s defence manufacturing capabilities on display before world leaders.