According to reports, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave each participant at the NATO summit a personalized engraved revolver, but most of the guests did not accept the gift. The development follows earlier reports of the pistols being accompanied by live ammunition and the Belgian prime minister accidentally taking one on his plane.
A new detail emerged Friday morning in the ongoing controversy surrounding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's gift of engraved revolvers to NATO summit participants. According to reports, most of the guests declined to accept the Turkish-made revolver, which was engraved with the recipient's name. The development adds another layer to a story that has unfolded over the past 24 hours, beginning with the initial revelation of the unusual gifts on Thursday.
On Thursday at 08:39 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Erdogan had given each visiting leader a Sarsilmaz SR 38 revolver engraved with their name, along with ammunition and export permits. Later that day, it was clarified that the pistols were not loaded but the gift boxes contained live ammunition. In a separate incident reported at 13:55 Jerusalem, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever inadvertently took a loaded revolver on his plane, which was discovered upon landing in Belgium and transferred to airport police. By Thursday evening, additional reports confirmed the pistols were engraved with each recipient's name.
The Zioneer has previously reported on the broader diplomatic context of the NATO summit in Ankara, including Erdogan's warm reception of leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the hand-in-hand walk with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The gift of firearms has been viewed by some as a security risk or a breach of diplomatic protocol, and the latest development suggests many world leaders shared that discomfort.
It remains unclear how many invited guests declined the gift, which countries they represented, or whether any leaders accepted the revolver. The reports have not specified the source of the information about the declined gifts.
6 developments
- StrongBelgian PM accidentally took loaded revolver gifted by Erdogan, delegation discovers upon landing
- DevelopingErdogan, Rutte walk hand-in-hand at NATO summit in Ankara
- DevelopingErdogan: Israeli-Greek opposition to F-35 sale 'has no place in my world'
- DevelopingAnalysis: Trump avoids discussing Iran sanctions with Erdogan at NATO summit, suggesting bluff
Source and signal
- Internal intake