The NATO summit descended into chaos, with Erdoğan personally handing each leader a revolver
The two-day NATO summit has finally come to an end. During the meeting, Trump unleashed fierce criticism against European nations, reiterating his desire to acquire Greenland and threatening to cut off all trade relations with Spain. Disagreements over aid to Ukraine continued to intensify. It can truly be said that the entire summit ended in heated argument.
These developments were already unusual enough, but Turkey’s actions as host stunned observers even more.
After the summit concluded, Turkish President Erdoğan presented every attending leader with a gift—inside which was not only a revolver, but also a box of ammunition.
He also “thoughtfully” explained that he had lifted Turkey’s export restrictions on weapons, allowing leaders to bring the revolvers safely back home.
Throughout modern history, gifts given by hosts at international summits or state visits have always been limited to non-offensive, culturally friendly items such as local handicrafts, specialty foods, custom ornaments, calligraphy, books, and commemorative badges.
NATO summits in previous years strictly followed this tradition: for example, Poland presented honey wine and stamps; the UK offered woolen products and whisky—all designed to foster alliance camaraderie without any aggressive undertones.
But Erdoğan broke precedent by giving over thirty NATO leaders a personalized revolver each, accompanied by a box of bullets—standard-issue lethal weapons—as official souvenirs. This unprecedented act has virtually no parallel in post-World War II great power diplomacy.
Moreover, awkwardly, Erdoğan’s so-called removal of export controls only applies within Turkey’s borders and cannot override domestic laws elsewhere. In most Western European countries—including the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany—private possession of handguns is strictly prohibited, and the import of military firearms via official channels is tightly regulated. Even heads of state have no special privilege to transport weapons loaded with ammunition back into their own countries.
This has led to an absurd situation: while Erdoğan’s gesture was generous and dignified, recipients could not legally accept it.
Staunton revealed he had no choice but to leave the gun in Turkey, having to dismantle its firing mechanism before symbolically bringing back a broken replica; German and Dutch prime ministers similarly stated they would have to hand over the gifts to their embassies for sealed storage. As a result, the meticulously prepared host gift was largely rejected, stored away, and ultimately scrapped—creating a deeply incongruous scene. It suggests Erdoğan knowingly crossed legal boundaries in multiple countries yet still insisted on delivering a gift highly likely to spark diplomatic complications.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870216655831048/
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