Names' Engraved Revolvers, Live Ammunition: Erdogan's Unusual Gift Leaves NATO Leaders Puzzled

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 13:01 IST

The gift also featured Turkey's flag and the NATO logo as well as a placard inscribed "Gumusay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country" in Turkish and English.

NATO leaders were left puzzled after they received an unusual farewell gift from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the end of the alliance’s summit in Ankara — an engraved revolver complete with live ammunition, triggering logistical and security challenges for several visiting delegations.

Each leader was presented with a wooden display box containing a vintage Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver engraved with their name, six live rounds of ammunition and a certificate exempting the weapon from Turkish export controls.

The gift also featured Turkey’s flag and the NATO logo as well as a placard inscribed “Gumusay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country" in Turkish and English.

Erdogan wanted to showcase Turkey’s defence industry, which has become a key export and foreign policy tool. The unusual present quickly became a talking point among leaders and their security teams, as transporting a fully functional firearm across international borders requires strict legal clearances in many countries.

What does a world leader do with a gun and six bullets? That was the conundrum NATO leaders faced after receiving the unusual gift. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among the first to reveal the gift, saying he had received a revolver engraved with his name. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s office confirmed that all leaders received the same model. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini also displayed the revolver to reporters while returning home.

Several leaders chose to leave the firearms in Turkey until the required paperwork could be completed. The revolvers belonging to Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten reportedly remained in Ankara, while Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his over to airport police for safekeeping.

Other leaders opted to donate or deactivate the weapons. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate her revolver to a military museum after it is decommissioned, while Greek authorities said their gift would be placed in the War Museum in Athens.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joked that “it struck me that my gift of maple syrup kind of undermatched" to the Turkish present. He said he had not actually seen the pistol.

“I would like to reassure Canadians – they keep guns away from me," he told a press conference, saying the revolver had been deactivated and might end up in the national war museum.

Carney took his revolver with him but left the ammunition in Turkey, Canadian officials said. They did not explain why.

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Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre...Read More

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