Reaction to Erdoğan's gift of pistols to NATO leaders: 'He thinks it's Esenyurt'

The controversy over the gift of weapons, which emerged following the NATO Leaders' Summit, has once again brought the government's understanding of diplomatic protocol to the agenda. It was revealed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gifted specially produced pistols to some leaders attending the summit. However, it was stated that many European countries did not allow these gifts to enter their countries.

Yeni Yol Group Deputy Chairman Selçuk Özdağ emphasized on his social media account that the gifted weapons were rejected due to diplomatic rules and the laws of the respective countries. Özdağ stated that some pistols were left at country embassies, some were handed over to the police, and some were not accepted at all, reacting with the words, "The President unfortunately thinks EU countries are like Esenyurt."

“EVERYONE MUST COMPLY WITH THE LAWS”

In his post, Özdağ underlined that in democratic countries, rules are not dependent on individuals, using the following expressions: "Everyone, including the highest-level state officials, must comply with the applicable legislation. State seriousness is ensured by pre-calculated and result-oriented diplomatic steps that take into account the rules of the counterpart countries."

With the latest events, the importance of observing local legislation and protocol rules when choosing gifts in international relations has once again been highlighted. The fact that Erdoğan's gift was rejected by official authorities in many countries has found wide resonance on social media and in the political arena.