What was intended as a showcase of Turkey’s growing defence industry has left several NATO leaders facing an unexpected logistical challenge after returning home from the alliance’s summit in Ankara.
As leaders departed Wednesday’s gathering, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each of them with an engraved vintage revolver, complete with live ammunition, making the gift more than a ceremonial display piece.
A collector’s item with NATO branding
Images released by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda showed what appeared to be a Gumusay .357 Magnum, a rare six-shot revolver manufactured by Turkish state arms maker MKE during the 1990s.
The handgun was presented in a wooden display case featuring the Turkish flag, the NATO logo and a plaque describing it as “Gumusay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country” in both Turkish and English.
As reported in Reuters, according to the office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, every NATO leader received the same model, individually engraved with their name.
The gift reflected Erdogan’s efforts to highlight Turkey’s defense industry, which has become an increasingly important export sector and foreign policy tool.
Leaders take different approaches
The unusual presents quickly created practical questions about transportation, customs procedures and storage.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he was surprised to discover a handgun and ammunition in his luggage after returning home. He handed the weapon to Brussels Airport police, where it was placed in secure storage.
In Poland, an aide to President Karol Nawrocki said the revolver was awaiting customs clearance at Warsaw Airport before being placed in a secure location.
“Certainly no one will be shooting it,” the aide told Radio RMF FM.
The offices of the Dutch and Swedish prime ministers said their revolvers remained at their respective embassies in Ankara. The Dutch weapon is expected to be disabled, while Sweden’s is awaiting the necessary import paperwork.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s gift reportedly included not only the revolver but also a cleaning kit and 500 rounds of ammunition.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s revolver has already been placed with other official state gifts at Rome’s Palazzo Chigi, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate hers to a military museum.
Showcasing Turkey’s defense industry
Although Turkey’s firearms industry today primarily produces semi-automatic pistols, the Gumusay revolver is considered a rare collector’s piece.
Turkish manufacturers have expanded their presence in Europe’s civilian firearms market in recent years, competing with established Italian and Belgian brands through lower-priced pistols and shotguns.
According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey ranked as the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, with exports worth approximately $3 billion during that period, behind only the United States and Italy.
