NATO leaders stunned by Erdogan's surprise gift of guns and ammo

A revolver gifted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. [Reuters]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew attention after presenting world leaders at a recent NATO summit with pistols and ammunition as gifts.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever was surprised to find a pistol and ammunition in his luggage as he returned home from the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, according to Reuters and other media reports Thursday.

Erdogan, whose country hosted the summit, gave each leader a vintage revolver — the Gümüşay .357 Magnum — engraved with their name.

The six-shot revolver was produced by Turkish arms manufacturer MKE in the 1990s and is considered a rare model prized by collectors.

The gun came in a three-tiered wooden box bearing the Turkish flag and the NATO logo, along with an inscription in English and Turkish describing it as "Turkey's first domestically produced revolver."

The revolver received by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. [Reuters]

Erdogan appears to have chosen the pistol gift to showcase Turkey's defense industry, which has emerged as a key export and a major tool of the country's foreign policy.

The gifts ran into each country's gun regulations, however, and because live ammunition was included, concerns arose about the potential for the weapons to be used.

De Wever handed the firearm to Brussels Airport police as soon as he stepped off the plane, asking that it be stored safely.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his gifted revolver was awaiting customs clearance at Warsaw Airport.

He told RMF FM radio that it would be kept in an appropriate place "so that it is stored safely and can be respected as a gift," adding, "Nobody is going to shoot it."

The prime ministers' offices of the Netherlands and Sweden sent their revolvers to their respective embassies in Ankara. The Netherlands said the weapon would be deactivated, while Sweden is awaiting the paperwork needed to import it.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already placed hers in storage at the presidential palace.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate her revolver to a military museum, and the Greek president intends to donate theirs to the Athens War Museum.

ygmoon@heraldcorp.com