Revolver gift leaves NATO leaders with dilemma

Engraved vintage handguns and live ammo presented by Erdogan after Ankara summit spark security question

MADRID:

What began as a symbolic farewell at the NATO summit in Ankara quickly turned into a logistical and diplomatic puzzle after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented alliance leaders with engraved vintage revolvers accompanied by live ammunition.
The unexpected gifts, handed to heads of state and government at the close of Wednesday’s summit, were intended to highlight Turkey’s growing defence industry, which has become an increasingly important export sector and an instrument of the country’s foreign policy.
Images released by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda showed what appeared to be a Gumusay .357 Magnum, a rare six-shot revolver manufactured by Turkish state-owned arms producer MKE during the 1990s.
The firearm was displayed in a wooden presentation box bearing Turkey’s national flag, the NATO logo and an inscription identifying it as the first revolver-type handgun produced in the country. According to a spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, every leader received the same model, with each revolver engraved with the recipient’s name.
For many delegations, however, the gift immediately created practical challenges. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever surrendered his revolver to airport police upon returning to Brussels so it could be stored securely.
In Poland, an aide to President Karol Nawrocki said the firearm was awaiting customs clearance at Warsaw Airport before being placed in secure storage. “Certainly, no one will be shooting it,” the aide told Radio RMF FM, adding that it would be preserved safely and respectfully as an official gift. The Dutch and Swedish governments said their revolvers remained at their embassies in Ankara. Dutch officials planned to have the weapon permanently disabled, while Swedish authorities were waiting for the required import documentation before deciding its destination.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer reportedly received not only the revolver but also a cleaning kit and 500 rounds of ammunition, according to a Downing Street source.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s gift has already joined other state presents at Palazzo Chigi, the official seat of the Italian government. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intends to donate hers to a military museum, while Greek officials said their country’s revolver would be transferred to the War Museum in Athens.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made light of the situation, joking that “it struck me that my gift of maple syrup kind of undermatched” the Turkish offering. He added that he had not actually seen the pistol and reassured reporters that “they keep guns away from me.” Carney said the deactivated revolver could eventually be displayed in Canada’s national war museum.
The Gumusay occupies a distinctive place in Turkey’s firearms history. While the country’s arms manufacturers now focus primarily on modern semi-automatic pistols, the revolver has become something of a collector’s item.
Turkey has steadily expanded its presence in the international firearms market in recent years, with manufacturers gaining ground in Europe’s civilian sector through competitively priced pistols and shotguns that challenge long-established Italian and Belgian brands.
According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey ranked as the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, recording exports worth about $3 billion during the period, behind only the United States and Italy.