Symbolic gifts for participants in a leaders' summit are the norm, and the NATO summit in Ankara was no exception. But the choice of the organizer, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was surprising.
The Turkish president offered each NATO leader, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, a revolver with his name engraved on it and a box of (real) bullets, reports Turkiye Today.
The detail was revealed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a conversation with reporters on the return flight. He said he could not take his gun to Britain because importing it would be illegal.
So his revolver will remain in Ankara to be withdrawn from circulation, despite the fact that Erdogan had sent a personal letter lifting export restrictions from Turkey.
Starmer said the gift of revolvers was a surprise choice on the part of the Turkish president. It is not known whether other NATO leaders have faced similar obstacles.
The other gift for the leaders was more conventional. It was a deluxe hardcover book, “The Politics of Courage: Erdogan and the Rise of Turkey,” as well as a notebook and pen with each leader’s name on it. ©LAPSI.al
