Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, often the internet’s favourite for her quirky expressions, probably never imagined she’d make headlines this time because of one of her personal habits. As world leaders gathered in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh for the Gaza peace summit, a light exchange between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stole the spotlight.

ALSO READ

Erdogan tells Meloni to Quit Smoking

According to footage aired by Turkey’s İhlas News Agency, Erdogan spotted Meloni during the summit and decided to give her some personal advice. “I saw you coming down from the plane. You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking,” he was heard saying. Standing nearby, French President Emmanuel Macron joined in, laughing and telling Erdogan, “It’s impossible!” Meloni, known for her quirky personality and humour replied that quitting smoking might make her less sociable, joking, “I know, I know. I don’t want to kill somebody.”

Meloni has earlier admitted in her book, a collection of her interviews, that smoking helps her connect with fellow leaders. The exchange happened on the sidelines of the Gaza peace summit, which was focused on discussing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, cohosted by Donald Trump and Al Sisi. 

Erdogan has been running a strong anti-tobacco campaign in Turkey, and has made it his mission to create a “Smoke-Free Türkiye.” His government’s 2024–2028 plan focuses on raising awareness, helping people quit, and keeping youth away from tobacco.

ALSO READ

Meloni’s smoking habit makes headlines

Italian media have often discussed Meloni’s smoking habit. During her 2022 election campaign, she revealed in an autobiography that she occasionally smokes. Later, at a wine fair, Meloni spoke about her lifestyle, saying she enjoys alcohol but tries not to make it a habit. “One should never drink alcohol on an empty stomach,” she said at the time.

As per Italian government data, around 10.5 million people in Italy smoke, which is about 20 percent of those above 15 years old. Among them, 22 percent are men and 16 percent are women.

Viral moment with Shehbaz Sharif and Trump

Another clip from the same summit also went viral online, this time with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former US President Donald Trump in frame.

In the viral video, Sharif praised Trump on stage and even recalled nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “efforts to end wars.” As he showered Trump with compliments, cameras panned and caught Meloni’s expression. She looked surprised, in disbelief, and barely could be seen controlling her laughter. 

Social media users couldn’t stop reacting. “What on earth am I witnessing?” one user wrote, while another joked that Meloni and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer were “trying not to laugh” during Sharif’s speech. Trump himself seemed amused, saying, “Wow! I didn’t expect that. Let’s go home,  that was really beautiful.”