European summit in Tirana: Host Rama falls on his knees in front of Meloni

When greeting almost 50 European heads of state and government, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama fell on his knees in front of his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. In front of the Tirana Cultural Palace, the scene of the European summit, Rama had Rama on a knee and with folded hands on the red carpet.

“This is the only way to be as big as me,” said Meloni with a humorous undertone. With this she alluded to the size difference between the two politicians. Rama, who was a sculptor before his political career, measures just over two meters. He is known for his theatrical appearances.

Italy, which separates the only 70 kilometer Meerstrasse from Otranto from Albania, enjoys great appreciation among most Albanians. In 2023, Rama offered the legal politician Meloni to set up two camps on Albanian soil to accommodate refugees and migrants collected in the sea. Your asylum applications should be decided there in urgent procedures. However, several attempts at the implementation of the project failed due to appeals by the Italian judiciary.