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Traditional diplomatic gift protocol at international summits usually involves local products, works of art or books of historical value. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose a rather unusual gift during the NATO summit.
Erdogan reportedly gifted his counterparts a handmade Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver, manufactured by the Turkish company Sarsilmaz. Each gun was engraved with the name of the respective leader and came with a cleaning kit and six live cartridges.
The gift immediately caused reactions from the delegations' security teams, as transporting a functional weapon faced legal restrictions in several European countries.
According to media reports, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever was only informed of the contents of the box on his return flight. Upon arrival in Belgium, his security team immediately handed over the revolver and ammunition to airport police, where they were placed in a security safe.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Dutch counterpart decided to leave the weapons on Turkish territory, under the care of their countries' diplomatic missions. According to authorities, the revolvers will be permanently deactivated before being transported to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, as the legislation of these countries prohibits the import of functional weapons.
The issue also took on an institutional dimension in Brussels, as the gift was also presented to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the President of the European Council, António Costa.
The European Commission announced that the weapon received by Ursula von der Leyen will be stored in a secure environment, deactivated and then intended to be donated to a military museum. While in the case of António Costa, standard European Council transport and storage procedures were followed.
Beyond the security aspect, the gift also raised ethical issues, as the value of a handmade Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver exceeds the 150 euro limit that European Union rules allow for personal gifts to officials. For this reason, the revolvers are not expected to remain in the personal possession of the leaders, but will be registered as state or institutional property.
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