Turkish Museum Owner Wants to Give Vladimir Putin an Unusual Present

A Turkish museum owner of historical bank notes wants to give Russian President Vladimir Putin bank notes of tsarist Russia.

The owner of the money museum which is located in the city of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, Esat Kaplan, told Sputnik about his desire to give Vladimir Putin banknotes that were issued in 1910 in Czarist Russia.

Kaplan pointed to the close historical ties between Russia and Turkey. “At a time when the foundations of the republic of Turkey were being laid, Lenin provided substantial financial support to the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,” the owner said.

He further said, “We want to present Mr. Putin with a gift, Russian bank notes, which we have kept for 25 years. I hope that I will be able to transfer the money through the mediation of Mr. President, Erdogan.”

Kaplan said that in his museum there are about a dozen banknotes both from Tsarist Russia and the Soviet period.

“My biggest dream is to personally present these banknotes as a gift to Mr. Putin. It would be a great honor for me. I would also like to prepare an exhibition in Russia, where everyone could see a collection of the historical banknotes. Hopefully, this would contribute to the further strengthening of friendship between our countries,” Kaplan concluded.