Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda received an engraved revolver as a gift from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in Ankara, the Lithuanian presidential office confirmed on Thursday.
The revolver bears Nausėda’s name engraved on it, according to the presidency.
“This gift from the Turkish president, like many other gifts received by the head of state, is planned to be displayed at the Presidential Palace,” the presidential office said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters that all NATO leaders attending the summit received similar revolvers engraved with their names, each accompanied by a box of ammunition.
Starmer said he had to leave the gift in Turkey because bringing it into the United Kingdom would have been illegal, despite receiving a letter from Erdogan exempting the weapon from Turkish export restrictions.
According to Reuters, the gift appears to be Gumusay .357 Magnum, a rare six-shooter produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s.
With his choice of souvenirs, Erdogan wanted to showcase Turkey’s defence industry, which has become a key export and foreign policy tool.
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