Watch: What Italian PM Meloni said as Erdoğan teased her about smoking

Erdoğan urges Meloni to quit smoking

Amid high-stakes talks on Middle East peace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan turned his attention to a smaller battle: persuading Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to give up smoking at the Gaza summit.

“I saw you coming down from the plane. You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking,” Erdoğan told Meloni, according to footage aired by İhlas News Agency.

French President Emmanuel Macron, standing nearby, tried to dampen Erdoğan’s enthusiasm, laughing:

“It's impossible!"

Meloni responded with humour, warning that quitting might make her less sociable:

"I know, I know. I don't want to kill somebody.”

🇹🇷🇮🇹 ERDOGAN TO MELONI: I HAVE TO MAKE YOU STOP SMOKINGErdogan: "I saw you coming down from the plane. You look great.But I have to make you stop smoking."Meloni: "I know, I know.I don't want to kill somebody"Source: @ihacomtr https://t.co/FX7G3CR5g1 pic.twitter.com/glcfOZAA6Z— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 13, 2025

In a book based on interviews, the Italian Prime Minister admitted that smoking had helped her bond with other global leaders, including Tunisian President Kais Saied.

Erdoğan has pledged a tobacco-free future for Turkey. As part of the nationwide "Smoke-Free Türkiye" campaign, Ankara is implementing a 2024-2028 action plan aimed at raising awareness, supporting cessation, and protecting youth from smoking.

The light-hearted exchange took place during the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where leaders sought to support the ceasefire in Gaza, ending the Israel-Hamas conflict, and to discuss a long-term strategy for governance and reconstruction of the Palestinian territory.

The gathering was widely seen as a platform to rally international support behind US President Donald Trump’s vision for ending the war and stabilising the region, while global leaders balanced serious diplomatic negotiations with moments of levity.