Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented NATO leaders with personalized revolvers as official gifts following the alliance’s summit in Ankara, with each firearm accompanied by live ammunition.

The gift reportedly featured the Gümüşay .357 Magnum, a Turkish-made revolver produced by state-owned arms manufacturer MKE in the 1990s. Each handgun was engraved with the recipient’s name and displayed in a wooden presentation box bearing the Turkish flag and NATO logo.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he was surprised to discover the handgun and ammunition in his luggage after returning home. His office said the firearm was immediately handed over to airport police for secure storage.

Other leaders also took precautions after returning from the summit. Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s revolver remained at Warsaw Airport pending customs clearance, while the Dutch and Swedish governments said their firearms were transferred to their embassies in Ankara, with the Dutch revolver set to be deactivated.

According to a Downing Street source, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a revolver along with a cleaning kit and 500 rounds of ammunition. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni placed hers with other official state gifts, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate the firearm to a military museum.

The presentation was widely viewed as an effort by Erdogan to promote Turkey’s growing defence industry. According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey ranked as the world’s third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, behind only the United States and Italy.