A gun gifted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at NATO summit in Ankara. Picture taken in Vilnius, Lithuania. [Lithuanian President's Office/Handout via Reuters]
Western leaders came to Turkey to discuss security in an increasingly perilous world. They each left with a revolver and six rounds.
The unconventional gift from the host of this week’s NATO summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was meant to showcase his country’s growing defense industry.
But it left officials across the alliance scratching their heads. Some were forced to leave their gifts behind due to gun laws in their countries, while others donated theirs to museums.
“It struck me that my gift of maple syrup kind of undermatched,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters, adding that the firearm was now in police possession. “I would like to reassure Canadians, they keep guns away from me.”
