Albanian PM goes down on one knee for Italy PM Meloni. Here's why

Albanian PM Rama, who is much taller than Meloni, went down on one knee to hand over a present to the Italian PM. (Courtesy: X | @kos_data)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama recently went down on one knee in front of his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and referred to her as "Your Majesty".

Rama then presented a scarf to Meloni as the two leaders met at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. The reason behind his sweet gesture? It's the Italian Prime Minister's 48th birthday on January 15 and Rama decided to surprise her.

Rama, who is much taller than Meloni, went down on one knee to hand over the present and even sang "tanti auguri" (happy birthday). He explained to the Italian PM what was special about the gifted scarf. According to Rama, the lightweight scarf was the work of an Italian designer who had relocated to Albania. They shared a warm hug as others present at the venue, including the media, watched the moment with joy.

Albanian PM Edi Rama knelt before Italian PM Giorgia Meloni during their visit to Abu Dhabi, presenting her with a scarf as a birthday gift and referring to her as "Your Majesty".He also tried to place the scarf over her head like a hijab. pic.twitter.com/QSqEuuBexM
kos_data (@kos_data) January 15, 2025

The two leaders have a good working relationship despite contrasting political beliefs. While Meloni leads the right-wing Brothers of Italy, Rama heads Albania's Socialist Party.

Last year, Meloni struck a deal with Rama to divert some of the migrants Italy picks up at sea to detention centres in Albania. The centres are currently dormant because of legal challenges to the scheme.

The Italian PM gained ground as a leading political figure in Europe after her far-right Brothers of Italy party scored a sound performance in the EU election last June. Meloni created history in October 2022 when she was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Italy, making her the first woman to hold this office.

At the Abu Dhabi summit on Wednesday, Italy, Albania and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a deal worth at least 1 billion euros ($1 billion) to build a subsea interconnection for renewable energy across the Adriatic.