Leaders of European countries who participated in the NATO summit in Ankara received engraved pistols and live ammunition as farewell gifts. Politico reports this, writes UNN.
Details
Exclusive weapons — along with ammunition and a cleaning kit — were handed over on Wednesday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. The gifts were presented to them by the summit host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, two EU officials told Politico.
A European Council official added that Costa's security team took the weapon for inspection. "We will follow Belgian procedures to bring it to Belgium, and then store it in accordance with the security requirements set by the General Secretariat of the Council," they stated.
A spokesperson for von der Leyen said: "The President expressed gratitude to President Erdoğan for this gesture. The pistol will be safely transported and stored properly. After the weapon is decommissioned, the President intends to hand it over to a military museum."
At the same time, one EU official noted that these ceremonial pistols are of the highest class and likely do not comply with strict gift value limits, and are unlikely to remain in the personal possession of the recipients.
Other European leaders, including outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, publicly stated that they would leave their pistols in Turkey for decommissioning before the weapons are shipped home.