After the NATO summit held on July 9, 2026, in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gifted each attending world leader a vintage revolver accompanied by live ammunition, signaling that the gifts were not merely symbolic. The gesture was intended to showcase Turkiye's defence industry, which has become a significant export and foreign policy asset.

According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkiye ranked as the world's third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, with exports totaling approximately $3 billion, trailing only the United States and Italy.

Images released by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda suggest the revolvers are Gumusay .357 Magnum models, rare firearms produced by Turkish arms manufacturer MKE in the 1990s. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's spokesperson confirmed that all leaders received the same model.

The gift to Britain's Sir Keir Starmer included a cleaning kit and 500 bullets, according to a Downing Street source. The unusual presents reportedly aimed to be "firstly safe and secondly respected as a gift."

Belgium's prime minister was reportedly surprised to find a handgun and ammunition in his luggage upon returning home from the summit.

Sources