Albanian PM kneels again for PM Giorgia Meloni at EPC Summit

Albanian PM Edi Rama once again dropped to one knee — this time to greet Italy’s Giorgia Meloni at the EPC Summit in Tirana.

Transcript

00:00He knelt to the ground, set aside his blue umbrella and offered a respectful

00:08namaste as Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni walked in.

00:11He only does it to be as tall as me.

00:15That's Albania's Prime Minister Eddie Rama, freshly elected for a fourth term,

00:19bringing his signature flair to the European political EPC summit.

00:23Undettered by heavy rain, he hosted over 40 European leaders in the capital city Tirana

00:28on 16 May 2025.

00:30The event began with Rama twirling a navy blue umbrella as he walked down a vivid red carpet.

00:36When Giorgio Meloni arrived, Rama playfully knelt on one knee, a gesture he often reserves

00:41for his Italian sister.

00:43He then greeted her with namaste.

00:45Though Rama and Meloni come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, Rama heads Albania's

00:50Socialist Party while Meloni leads Italy's far-right Brothers of Italy.

00:54Still, this kind of gesture wasn't new.

00:57Back in January 2025 at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, which happened to be

01:01Meloni's 48th birthday, Rama went down on one knee and called her Your Majesty.

01:07He then gifted her a scarf and sang Tanti Auguri, the Italian version of Happy Birthday.

01:12Now, as he played host to the European political community summit in Tirana, Rama once again

01:18brought that same theatrical energy to the diplomatic stage.

01:21FYI, the EPC was initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron in response to Russia's 2022

01:28invasion of Ukraine.

01:29It gathers EU members of states and 20 additional countries to discuss pressing issues like migration

01:35and the ongoing war.

01:36When French President Emmanuel Macron arrived, Rama quipped, here's the Sun King.

01:42He even teased the British delegation, saying there was a suspicion, now confirmed by the

01:46European Weather Forecast Institute, that the persistent rain yesterday morning came with

01:51the British.

01:52In an unconventional start to a typically formal summit, AI-generated baby portraits of each

01:57leader, some with beards and glasses, were projected on a giant screen, each saying, Welcome

02:02to Albania.

02:07Known for his towering height of 6 foot 7, Rama also emphasized, I may be the tallest here but

02:13I lead one of Europe's smallest countries.

02:15Hosting the summit is a huge honour for us.