ANKARA (Realist English). At the conclusion of the NATO summit in the Turkish capital on July 7–8, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented each of the leaders of the participating countries with an unusual parting gift — a personalized revolver with live ammunition.
Instead of traditional diplomatic souvenirs, the heads of state and government received rare collectible weapons — Gümüşay .357 Magnum revolvers, produced by the Turkish state defence enterprise MKE in the 1990s.
The Gift: A Symbol of Turkish Defence Industry
Each revolver was packaged in a wooden box bearing the Turkish flag and the NATO logo. A plaque in Turkish and English read: “Gümüşay — the first revolver produced in our country.”
The barrel of each revolver was engraved with the recipient’s name. Alongside the weapon, leaders received a box of six live rounds and a letter signed by Erdoğan waiving Turkish export restrictions on the weapon.
As Ankara explained, the gift was intended to showcase the strength of Turkey’s defence industry. Turkey is the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms: according to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkish exports of small-calibre weapons amounted to approximately $3 billion between 2019 and 2024, ranking only behind the US and Italy.
Leaders’ Reactions: From Surprise to Customs Complications
The gift placed heads of state and their security services in an unexpected dilemma. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, by his own admission, “was surprised” to find the revolver and ammunition in his luggage upon arrival home. He immediately handed the weapon over to police at Brussels airport.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for whom this summit was his last major international engagement before his resignation, was forced to leave the revolver at the Turkish embassy, as the import of functional firearms into the UK is prohibited. According to Downing Street, Starmer’s gift included a cleaning kit and 500 rounds of ammunition. The revolver is expected to be deactivated before being brought back to the UK.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took the revolver with him but left the ammunition in Turkey. His gift to Erdoğan — maple syrup — became the subject of jokes on social media.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also left the revolver in Turkey; it will be handed over to the German embassy for legal import and registration in the state register of official gifts.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten handed the revover to the embassy in Ankara; the weapon will be deactivated. His Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson also left the gift at the embassy pending import documents.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki left the revolver at customs at Warsaw airport. His aides assured that “no one will be shooting it.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intends to hand the revolver over to a military museum.
Legal Complications
The gift, intended to showcase Turkish defence industry prowess, turned into a legal headache for many leaders. Different countries required different procedures — from deactivation to securing import permits. In Belgium, the weapon was immediately seized by police; in Canada, it will be deactivated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
As sources note, the incident echoed a case in Poland in December 2022, when the police chief brought back an anti-tank grenade launcher as a gift from Ukraine, which exploded in his office, causing minor injuries and serious damage to the police headquarters in Warsaw.
Erdoğan’s parting gesture, meant to showcase the strength of Turkey’s defence industry, turned into an unexpected headache for his NATO colleagues.
Instead of becoming a memorable souvenir, the revolvers became a test of knowledge of customs and firearms laws of the participating countries.
The question of whether diplomatic gifts in the form of functional weapons are state souvenirs or a violation of customs rules remains open.