Turkish President Recep Erdoğan surprised NATO leaders by presenting them with revolvers loaded with live ammunition following the summit in Ankara. This is part of a showcase of the Turkish defence industry, which is becoming an important tool of foreign policy.
- Erdogan presented NATO leaders with Gumusay .357 Magnum revolvers.
- Each revolver was personalised with the recipient’s name.
- Some countries have taken the revolvers to their embassies for safekeeping.
- Canada has deactivated the revolver for the museum.
- Turkey is the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms.
Erdogan donates revolvers to NATO
The Turkish President Recep Erdoğan decided to surprise world leaders by presenting them with revolvers after NATO summit in Ankara. Each leader was presented with a Gumusay .357 Magnum, which was manufactured by the Turkish arms manufacturer MKE in the 1990s. The revolvers were presented in wooden boxes bearing an image of the Turkish flag and the NATO logo.
Erdogan seized this opportunity to showcase the achievements of the Turkish defence industry, which is becoming a key export sector and a key element of the country’s foreign policy. According to the Small Arms Survey, Turkey was the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024.
The revolvers were met with mixed reactions. The Prime Minister of Belgium Barto De Wever handed his gift over to the police at Brussels Airport for safekeeping. Meanwhile, the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney He joked that his gift of maple syrup was no match for the Turkish present.
Despite differing approaches to the storage and use of these revolvers, Erdoğan’s gesture has sparked considerable interest in the Turkish arms industry, which is actively penetrating European markets, challenging established players, such as Italy and Belgium. It also highlights the role of the defence industry as a key element of Turkey’s policy on the international stage.
