Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented Keir Starmer with a revolver engraved with his name at the NATO summit in Ankara. The weapon, along with live ammunition, was not returned to the United Kingdom.
A personalized revolver with live ammunition: that was the gift British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received from the Turkish president at the NATO summit in Ankara. The weapon, engraved with Starmer's name, was one of a series of identical gifts presented by Erdogan to the leaders of each country participating in the event.
The revolver remained in Turkey, in the hands of British officials there. Its return to the United Kingdom is illegal in its current state: British law prohibits the importation of a functional firearm. Erdogan had lifted export controls on this gift, but this was not enough to allow its shipment to London.
Before any potential repatriation, the weapon must be deactivated, meaning rendered permanently incapable of firing. Downing Street has not released any photographs of the revolver.
Beyond this episode, the summit resulted in the signing of a defense agreement between London and Ankara, aimed at deepening intelligence sharing between the two countries. Following the discussions, Starmer stated that the Atlantic Alliance emerged "stronger and more united" from this gathering. "It was a good summit. We achieved what we wanted to achieve, which is unity," he declared, emphasizing the importance of this cohesion in the face of the conflicts in Ukraine and the tensions surrounding Iran.
This NATO summit was Keir Starmer's last major international engagement; he announced his resignation last month.
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