President Nicușor Dan Never Saw Pistol Gifted by Erdogan

Nicușor Dan, the President of Ukraine, revealed that he never had the chance to see a pistol gifted to him by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during an official visit to Turkey. The firearm was promptly taken into the custody of the Protection and Guard Service (SPP) immediately following the summit.

Dan shared the unusual story during a special train journey back to Romania after attending the fifth edition of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv. He explained that although the pistol was presented by Erdogan himself, he did not get to lay eyes on it. "I didn't see it. But earlier we were discussing that we need to test it at the shooting range," Dan told Observator.

When asked about his experience with firearms, the President recalled his only previous encounter was during his nine-month military service in Bacău. He mentioned a more recent, non-live firing experience at an equipment fair with his son, using an electromagnetic pulse system rather than live ammunition. "In the army. I did nine months of military service in Bacău. I haven't shot since. And I shot at a fair, at the equipment fair, when I was with my son, but it wasn't a real bullet, it was electromagnetic flux," he explained.

The reason Dan never saw the pistol is straightforward: upon concluding the visit in Ankara, the SPP requested and received his consent to secure the weapon. "The SPP told me that evening, when we were leaving Ankara: 'You received a pistol, we will keep it.' They asked for my consent to take it," the President recounted.

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Cei de la SPP mi-au spus în seara aia, când am plecat de la Ankara: «Ați primit un pistol, o să-l păstrăm». Mi-au cerut cumva acordul să-l ia ei