Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever faced an unusual situation after returning from the NATO summit in Ankara.
At the end of the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented the leaders in attendance with an antique Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver, accompanied by live ammunition.
When he arrived in Belgium, De Wever discovered that the gun and ammunition were in his luggage, Reuters writes.
Due to strict security regulations, he immediately notified airport police and the revolver was handed over for storage in a safe at a military base, pending a decision on what to do with it.
According to reports, all participating leaders received the same gift – a revolver with their name engraved on a wooden box with the Turkish flag and NATO logo.
Reactions varied from state to state:
The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Sweden laid down their weapons at their embassies in Ankara.
The President of Poland is awaiting the completion of customs procedures.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received, in addition to the revolver, a cleaning kit and 500 rounds of ammunition.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to donate the revolver to a military museum.
With this gesture, Erdogan aimed to promote the Turkish defense industry, which in recent years has become one of Turkey’s main export sectors.
However, the gift caused legal and logistical dilemmas for many of the leaders who left the summit with firearms and ammunition in their luggage. /Telegraph/