How NATO Leaders Reacted to Erdogan's Revolver Gift
The gifts highlighted Turkiye’s arms industry, which was the world’s third-largest small-arms exporter from 2019 to 2024, the Small Arms Survey said.
- After Wednesday's NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each leader with an unusual parting gift: a vintage revolver accompanied by live ammunition to showcase the nation's defense industry.
- Turkiye, the world's third-largest small arms exporter, sought to highlight its manufacturing capabilities with the vintage Gumusay model. The country's exports totaled about $3 billion between 2019 and 2024, challenging Italian and Belgian manufacturers.
- Security teams faced logistical challenges as some leaders discovered the loaded firearms only upon returning home. Sir Keir Starmer received 500 bullets, while Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his to airport police for safekeeping.
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "expressed her thanks" to Erdogan for the gift, planning to donate it to a military museum. Polish President Karol Nawrocki's revolver remains at Warsaw Airport awaiting customs clearance.
- The unexpected presents caused "insane" scenes among security delegations accustomed to traditional summit protocols. While intended as a defense-industry showcase, the functional weapons created significant security and procedural headaches for alliance members across Europe.
69 Articles
69 Articles
A gift as a power game? Erdoğan's revolver for heads of state and government was, according to a social psychologist, a calculated relationship test. What such provocations reveal.
The leaders of NATO countries met in Ankara, the Turkish capital, around Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. At the end of the summit, they exchanged gifts, symbols of their know-how or culture. The Turkish president offered his peers a revolver accompanied by six ammunitions. (International).
Not all participants in the NATO summit in Ankara were able to take their name revolvers with them from the Turkish President.
Het Laatste Nieuws
gelderlander.nlAt the NATO summit in Turkey, Turkish President Erdogan gave government leaders a remarkable gift: a revolver with bullets. Prime Minister De Wever was also handed the firearm. The gift caused frowned eyebrows among diplomats. Nevertheless, remarkable gifts at international summits are anything but rare.
The Heads of State and Government were astonished: each of them was given a revolver in Ankara. Countries deal differently with the gift.
Leave it in Ankara or take it home? The gift gun puts in crisis the leaders of the Alliance
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
