The Turkish leader presented revolvers loaded with live ammunition as farewell gifts to all NATO member leaders attending the summit over the past few days, reportedly aiming to promote the country's arms industry.
Foreign news agencies reported that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey and host of the NATO leaders' summit, surprised all attending leaders with vintage-style revolvers accompanied by live ammunition, signaling they were not mere display items.
President Erdoğan intended to showcase Turkey's defense industry, which has become a major export product and a significant instrument in their foreign policy.
Photos released by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda showed what appeared to be a rare six-shot Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver, manufactured by Turkish arms producer MKE during the 1990s.
The revolver was presented in a wooden display box adorned with the Turkish national flag and NATO logo, along with a plaque inscribed in Turkish and English stating: “Gumusay, the first domestically produced revolver in our country.”
A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez revealed that all leaders received the same model, with each revolver engraved with the individual leader's name.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his revolver to Brussels Airport police for secure storage in a safe.
Meanwhile, an aide to Polish President Karol Nawrocki told RMF FM radio that the president's revolver was undergoing customs procedures at Warsaw airport and would be stored appropriately “to ensure, first, safety, and second, to honor the gift.”
The aide added, “Of course, no one will use it to shoot.”
Offices of the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Sweden disclosed that their leaders' revolvers were sent to their respective embassies in Ankara. The Dutch revolver is scheduled to be deactivated, while the Swedish one awaits import documentation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's revolver has been stored at Palazzo Chigi, the official government residence, alongside other state gifts.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate her revolver to a military museum, while the Greek leader intends to give his to the War Museum in Athens.
Turkey's modern handgun industry primarily focuses on semi-automatic pistols, making the Gumusay revolver a unique collector's item.
Turkish firearms manufacturers have aggressively entered the European civilian arms market with affordable pistols and shotguns, challenging long-established Italian and Belgian brands that dominate the sports and official arms sectors.
According to Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey ranked as the world's third-largest exporter of small arms from 2019 to 2024, with total exports valued at approximately $3 billion, trailing only the United States and Italy.
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:cnn