Why Erdogan gave NATO leaders loaded revolvers
Some leaders said that they discovered the contents of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s gift package only much later, and that they did not even see the package before it was seized by security forces.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joked that his gift of maple syrup was “kind of inadequate” to Erdogan’s offer.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first to mention this highly unusual gift, and after two days of talks in Ankara, he told reporters on the plane that he and others were given a gun with their names on it.
Next to the gun, which was in a red box with black lining, were six live bullets and a note stating that the guns were exempt from export controls.
Several officials from different member countries of the alliance said it was a surprising gift, to say the least, and that it led to some “wild” scenes among the various delegations’ security teams.
In his statement to X, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said, “An unusual gift from President Erdoğan at the NATO summit: A Magnum pistol with ammunition with my name written on it.”
– Headache –
Some leaders discovered their talents much later.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever “only learned of the exact nature of the gift after landing in Belgium”.
“The Prime Minister was surprised and immediately handed it over to the airport police to be placed in a secure safe and the matter was handled in accordance with relevant procedures,” an official told AFP on Thursday. he said.
De Wever’s security team also handled the handguns issued to Brussels-based EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, along with all the security and protocol headaches that come with such an endeavor.
Her spokesperson stated that Von der Leyen “thanked” Erdogan for the gift, adding that the gift would be retired and donated to the military museum.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden’s office said the gun would be kept with all other “diplomatic gifts” but would first be rendered “irretrievably unusable.”
The gun presented to Polish President Karol Nawrocki also arrived safely, but necessary precautions were taken and a previous incident was still fresh in everyone’s memory.
In December 2022, the Polish police chief brought back an anti-tank grenade launcher he received as a gift from Ukraine.
The device exploded in his office, causing minor injuries and major damage to the police headquarters in Warsaw.
This time, “it is certain that no one will shoot,” an aide to Nawrocki told a local radio station.
– Why such a gift? –
A large number of guns, including those of Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, remain in the capital for now.
And for good reason: Depending on applicable laws, carrying firearms is often far from easy, especially when they are fully functional.
Canadian officials said that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took his gun with him but left the ammunition in Türkiye. They didn’t explain why.
The weapon given to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson “will need to be transferred to Sweden in accordance with all applicable procedures”, his team told AFP.
Beyond the logistical challenge, the gift also surprised many delegations attending the summit, which focused on relations with Ukraine, Iran and US President Donald Trump.
The question has been asked again and again: why such a gift?
Although it is very common for heads of state to give various gifts at meetings or summits, such exchanges rarely require such precautions.
Contacted by AFP, the Turkish Presidency did not immediately respond to this question.
