Recently re-elected Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama this week greeted the visiting heads of governments of EU member-states and non-EU countries to the European Political Community meetings hosted in Tirana with a unique greeting, namely, AI generated images of the attending leaders as toddlers, and saying, in their native language, “Welcome to Albania”.
Some of the leaders appeared amused, others remained unmoved, and a couple appeared as “cringed”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan displayed a hint of a smile when his image, a mustachioed baby, was shown.
Rama, wearing his trademark sneakers, later turned heads in greeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, kneeling on one knee, in mock rapture, as the Italian leader officially arrived for the summit.
One notable exception from the summit was Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was in Washington D.C. with his wife Mareva for the masters’ degree graduation of their eldest child, Konstantinos, from Georgetown University.
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomes Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the European Political Community Summit at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania, May 16, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
Beyond the levity, subjects up for discussion at the summit include the Russian invasion in Ukraine, with many European leaders leaning towards more sanctions against Moscow, as both sides postured for highly-anticipated talks in Istanbul.
