Erdogan Gifts Personalized Pistols to NATO Leaders, Most Decline to Take Them

At the NATO summit held this week in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each NATO leader with a personalized Turkish-made pistol, accompanied by a box of ammunition and a cleaning kit. This unusual gift was part of Erdogan's effort to promote Turkey's defense industry amid a broader NATO rearmament push involving billions in weapons procurement. The summit also featured, for the first time, a military exhibition showcasing Turkish arms manufacturers as part of the official agenda.

Although the pistols came with official export permits allowing leaders to take them out of Turkey, several recipients chose not to keep the gifts due to their countries' import laws. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer disclosed during his flight back to London that he left the pistol at the British embassy in Ankara to avoid violating British weapons import regulations. Similarly, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly left his personalized pistol in Turkey, with plans to formally import it into the official gifts collection after proper procedures.

The gift caused a security incident in Belgium when Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's delegation discovered the pistol included live ammunition upon arrival in Brussels, leading to immediate confiscation by local police. Besides the 31 NATO leaders, other senior officials attending the summit, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, also received the pistols. Michel's security team took the weapon for inspection, with plans to comply with EU safety laws before storing it.

European media noted that the pistols' value likely exceeds the typical limits for official diplomatic gifts. The story was first reported by the Israeli outlet Globes and has since drawn attention across Europe due to the legal and security complications arising from the unusual gesture.