Turkish President gifts revolvers, but Rutte rejects his and Jetten leaves his behind
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s gift of engraved revolvers to NATO leaders after the alliance summit in Turkey has created security and legal issues for several officials, NOS reported. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten left his gifted firearm behind in Turkey, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte refused to accept his.
The gifts included a revolver with six rounds of ammunition and a cleaning kit. The firearms were presented to NATO leaders as official gifts from Erdogan, with each weapon engraved with the recipient’s name. The information card inside the case reportedly identified the weapon as a Turkish-made Gümüşay revolver designed for Magnum .357 ammunition. The accompanying note stated, "With the warm regards of the President of the Republic of Turkey.”
Rutte did not accept the firearm. A spokesperson for the NATO military alliance said he was “grateful for the gesture,” but that the secretary-general could not accept the weapon.
Jetten accepted the firearm because it is customary to do so when it comes to official gifts, the Dutch Government Information Service said. However, he left the weapon in Turkey, where it will be rendered unusable.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also could not take his revolver home. Although Erdogan included written permission for export, the United Kingdom’s strict firearm laws prevented the weapon from being taken into the country. The weapon remains at the British Embassy in Ankara.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney handed his revolver to police to make it unusable. A later decision will determine a “suitable destination” for the firearm, which could potentially be a museum. The ammunition remained in Turkey.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda was among the few leaders to publicly display the gift, sharing four photos of the revolver and saying it would be placed in the presidential palace.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever only discovered the contents of his gift bag after returning home. After his delegation learned what other leaders had received, he opened the package on the runway of the military airport in Melsbroek, according to a photo published by De Morgen. His revolver is now stored in the aviation police weapons safe. The Belgian authorities will later decide what will happen to it.
EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa also received revolvers. Costa said his security team had taken responsibility for the weapon and that Belgian law would be followed to allow it to be transported to Brussels. Von der Leyen said she plans to donate her firearm to a military museum once it has been safely imported from Turkey.
