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NATO Turkey Summit Concludes: Erdogan Gifts Leaders Engraved Revolvers | Liberty Times (TW)

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gifted leaders at a NATO summit vintage revolvers made in Turkey.
  • The guns, identified as Gumusay .357 Magnum models, were presented in wooden boxes with ammunition and a plaque.
  • Leaders handled the gifts differently, with some storing them securely, others sending them to embassies, and one planning to scrap the weapon.

At the conclusion of a NATO summit held in Ankara from July 7-8, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented attendees with a unique and collectible gift: vintage revolvers. The firearms, identified from photos provided by the Lithuanian presidential office as likely being Gumusay .357 Magnum models, were manufactured by the Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) in the 1990s. Each gift was presented in a wooden display case containing six live rounds and a plaque inscribed in Turkish and English, stating "Gumusay, the first revolver produced in our country."

According to a spokesperson for the Spanish Prime Minister, all NATO leaders received the same model of revolver, each engraved with their name. A British government source revealed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer also received a cleaning kit and an additional 500 rounds of ammunition alongside his firearm.

Gumusay, the first revolver produced in our country.

— Plaque on giftThe inscription on the gift presented to NATO leaders by Turkish President Erdogan.

The reception and handling of these gifts varied among the leaders. Bart De Wever, the Belgian Prime Minister, handed his revolver over to the police at Brussels Airport for safekeeping. Offices of the Dutch and Swedish Prime Ministers indicated that the revolvers had been sent to their respective embassies in Ankara. The Dutch Prime Minister intends to have the handgun decommissioned, while the Swedish Prime Minister is awaiting customs clearance documents.

Other leaders opted for different arrangements. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate her revolver to a military museum. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has reportedly placed her gift in safekeeping at the Palazzo Chigi, the official residence of the Prime Minister. An assistant to Polish President Karol Nawrocki told Polish radio that the revolver would be stored appropriately, "both for security and out of respect for the gift," adding, "no one will actually shoot it."

no one will actually shoot it.

— Assistant to Polish President Karol NawrockiDescribing the planned secure storage of the gifted revolver.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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