The Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart de Wever, has handed over to the Police, upon his return from the NATO leaders' summit held in Ankara, a revolver he received as a protocol gift from the President of Turkey and host of the meeting, Recep Tayyp Erdogan.
According to several delegations on Wednesday night, and as Europa Press has been able to corroborate from allied sources, Erdogan presented each leader with a revolver personalized with their name, accompanied by ammunition and a specific permit authorizing its export.
Among those who received this gift was also the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, whose team has indicated that the German conservative "expressed her gratitude" to the Turkish leader, but that the weapon would be "transported and stored securely" until it is rendered inoperable, at which point it would be "donated to a military museum."
In the case of the Belgian head of government, sources from his cabinet have indicated to Europa Press that De Wever did not realize the type of object that had been delivered to the delegation by Erdogan until he was already in Belgium, when he discovered "with surprise" the nature of the gift and decided to hand it over to the airport police so that it could be stored in a security box and the corresponding protocols applied.
The entourage of the Belgian leader was who initially received the revolver and, as the same sources emphasize, the weapon remained under supervision at all times. It was transported to Belgium on the military flight on which the entire delegation returned to the country.