Erdogan Gifts Revolvers to NATO Leaders; Norway Returns Weapon

At the recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented revolvers as gifts to attending leaders, a gesture confirmed by the Norwegian Prime Minister's office. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was among those who received a firearm.

However, due to Norway's stringent regulations on importing weapons, Støre could not bring the revolver back to the country. Following an agreement with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the weapon was returned to the ministry in Ankara. Communication advisor Anne Nordskog stated that the weapon would be handled according to Turkish procedures.

Reports indicate the revolvers were supplied with live ammunition, engraved with recipients' names, and accompanied by export papers. Other leaders, such as UK's Keir Starmer, chose to leave their gifts behind for deactivation. EU President Ursula von der Leyen has not publicly commented on her gift, while European Council President António Costa plans to follow Belgian procedures for importing his revolver.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's received revolver will be handed over to the German embassy for proper import and registration in the official gifts collection. Similarly, the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and Sweden also accepted revolvers, with plans to handle their import and registration according to their respective national regulations.

“

It is true that a weapon was given by President Erdogan at the NATO summit in Ankara. There are strict rules for importing weapons into Norway. The weapon was returned to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, by agreement with the Turkish MFA.