Turkish President Erdogan Gifts Loaded Historic Pistols to NATO Leaders at Ankara Summit

During the annual NATO summit held this week in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised attending leaders by presenting each with a rare, loaded historic pistol. The firearm, a Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver produced by Turkish manufacturer MKE in the 1990s, was gifted in a wooden display box featuring the Turkish flag and NATO emblem, along with inscriptions in Turkish and English highlighting it as Turkey's first domestically produced revolver.

Leaders from various NATO countries confirmed receiving the pistols, each engraved with the recipient's name. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's office stated all leaders received the same model. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, surprised to find the pistol and live ammunition in his luggage upon arrival in Brussels, handed it over to airport police for safekeeping. The UK reported receiving 500 rounds of ammunition with their gift, though the pistol remains in Turkey pending deactivation due to British import laws prohibiting live firearms.

Other leaders, including those from Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, and the European Commission, have either stored the pistols securely or plan to donate them to museums. Poland's presidential aide noted the pistol awaits customs clearance and will be preserved respectfully. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stored hers at the government palace, while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intends to donate hers to a military museum.

Turkey is the world's third-largest small arms exporter, with exports totaling approximately $3 billion between 2019 and 2024, trailing only the US and Italy. Erdogan's gift aimed to showcase Turkey's growing defense industry, which has increasingly penetrated the European civilian arms market with competitively priced firearms, challenging established Italian and Belgian brands. The Gumusay revolver, primarily a collector's item today, symbolizes Turkey's expanding role in global arms manufacturing and export.

The gesture was notable for including live ammunition, raising security and legal questions among recipients. Several countries have taken measures to secure or neutralize the weapons in compliance with their national laws. Erdogan's presentation underscored Turkey's strategic ambitions in defense production and diplomacy within NATO.