Turkish President Distributes Loaded Revolvers to NATO Leaders at Alliance Summit

Western leaders arrived in Ankara this week for a NATO summit focused on security challenges facing the alliance. They departed with an unexpected memento: a loaded revolver.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each attending leader with a Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver and six rounds of ammunition, an unconventional diplomatic gesture intended to showcase Turkey’s expanding defense manufacturing capabilities. The gift has created an unusual predicament for officials across the alliance, many of whom found themselves unable to legally transport the firearms to their home countries.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged the disparity between his gift of maple syrup and the weapon he received in return. The firearm is now in police possession. Carney assured his constituents that authorities maintain appropriate distance between him and such weapons.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar displayed his gift on social media, posting a photograph of the presentation box containing the engraved revolver and ammunition. The disposition of his weapon remains unclear.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed gratitude for the gift, which her office confirmed will be decommissioned and transferred to a military museum. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that the gift included documentation waiving export controls, though he left the revolver behind for decommissioning, as importing it into Britain would violate the law.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever surrendered his weapon to airport police upon arrival in his country. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten left their revolvers at their respective embassies in Ankara, where they will be rendered inoperable.

Italian officials logged the weapon as an official gift at Palazzo Chigi, the seat of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government. Greek authorities announced plans to donate their revolver to the War Museum.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović learned only after returning home that Erdogan had given him a firearm. His office indicated the weapon would likely be transferred to a police museum. Milanović remarked that he employs different weapons, an apparent reference to his political approach.

The White House has not responded to inquiries regarding whether the American delegation received similar gifts.

Turkish media identified the weapons as vintage six-shot revolvers manufactured by MKE, the Turkish state arms producer. The gift appears designed to draw attention to Turkey’s remarkable transformation in defense manufacturing over recent decades.

Turkey has evolved from a nation heavily dependent on military imports to an increasingly self-sufficient producer of sophisticated weapons systems. The country now manufactures advanced unmanned aerial vehicles and naval vessels, and is developing its own next-generation fighter aircraft.

The gesture reflects Turkey’s pride in its defense industrial base, though it has created logistical and legal complications for recipients. Gun culture maintains deep roots in Turkish society, and domestic reaction to the diplomatic gift has been minimal.

Erdogan’s office has not issued a statement regarding the distribution of the revolvers or the varied responses from recipient nations. The incident underscores the complexities of international diplomacy, where cultural traditions and domestic laws can intersect in unexpected ways during high-level summits.