The recent NATO summit in Ankara took an unexpected turn when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented world leaders with a personalized, engraved Magnum revolver accompanied by six live rounds. The high-profile gift caught many delegations off guard, sparking significant logistical and security headaches for prime ministers and heads of state. While some leaders, such as Canada’s Mark Carney, joked about the unusual offering, others found the gesture more burdensome than ceremonial. Officials reported that security teams were forced to scramble as they navigated strict international firearms regulations to secure or decommission the weapons, with many leaders only realizing the contents of their gift boxes long after the summit had concluded.

For many, the gift proved to be more of a liability than a keepsake, leading to a scramble of safety procedures across Europe. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever turned his weapon over to airport police upon arrival, while others, like EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, have moved to have the revolvers decommissioned for display in military museums. The situation was particularly sensitive given previous diplomatic mishaps, such as a 2022 incident where a Polish police chief accidentally detonated a gifted grenade launcher in his own office. As of now, the reasoning behind President Erdogan’s choice remains unclear, and the Turkish presidency has yet to provide an official explanation for the perplexing and highly unconventional parting gift.