Key Takeaways
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gifted vintage revolvers to NATO leaders at the summit in Ankara.
- The Gumusay .357 Magnum, produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s, was given as a gift.
- Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever secured his revolver with airport police.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised NATO leaders at the summit in Ankara by handing each of them a vintage revolver and live ammunition. The unusual gifts, which included the Gumusay .357 Magnum, a six-shooter produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s, were intended to showcase Turkey’s defence industry.
The revolvers were presented in wooden display boxes featuring Turkey’s flag and the Nato logo. Each pistol was engraved with the name of its recipient, highlighting the personal touch of the gesture. According to images shared by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda's office, the Gumusay revolver was inscribed 'Gumusay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country' in both Turkish and English.
The gifts caused some surprise among the leaders who returned home from the summit. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his revolver to Brussels’ airport police for safekeeping. An aide to Polish President Karol Nawrocki told Radio RMF FM that his revolver was awaiting customs clearance at Warsaw Airport, and would be stored in a secure location.
The Dutch and Swedish prime ministers' revolvers were taken to their respective embassies in Ankara. The Dutch one was due to be disabled while the Swedish one was awaiting import paperwork. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received his revolver with a cleaning kit and 500 bullets, according to a Downing Street source.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's revolver was already stored at the Palazzo Chigi, along with other state gifts. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intended to donate hers to a military museum. The gesture by Erdogan aimed to highlight Turkey’s modern handgun industry, which focuses mainly on semi-automatics but has also ventured into producing vintage revolvers as a collector's item.
The gift of the Gumusay revolver is seen as part of Turkey’s broader strategy in defence exports. According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey was the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, with exports totalling about $3 billion over the period, behind the United States and Italy.
While the revolvers were intended as a diplomatic gesture, they have caused some concern among security officials who are handling them. The revolvers will likely be stored safely to avoid any potential mishaps.
