Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has offered a rare glimpse into the personal moments that often unfold behind high-level diplomacy, recalling how a visit to India inspired one of the most memorable jokes from her foreign minister. In her newly released book, Giorgia’s Vision, Meloni recounts being greeted by countless posters featuring her image across New Delhi during her 2023 visit, prompting Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to quip that she could comfortably win an election in the Indian capital.
The anecdote is one of several stories Meloni uses to highlight how genuine human interactions often play a bigger role in international relations than official speeches and carefully scripted meetings.
Delhi welcome that left an impression
According to News 18, Meloni writes that she was struck by the scale of the welcome she received during her visit to India in March 2023 for the Raisina Dialogue. Roads across New Delhi were lined with banners carrying her photograph and messages welcoming her to the country.
What caught her attention even more was seeing similar posters thanking her when she departed. According to Meloni, Tajani looked at the endless displays and jokingly remarked that if she contested from a New Delhi constituency, she would win by a million votes.
The Italian leader visited India twice in 2023, first for the Raisina Dialogue and later for the G20 Summit. Her growing rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attracted significant attention online, with social media users popularising the term “Melodi” to describe the friendly dynamic between the two leaders.
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Diplomacy beyond conference rooms
According to News 18, in the book, Meloni argues that meaningful diplomacy often begins when leaders move beyond protocol and connect on a personal level. She writes that humour, shared interests and simple conversations can build trust faster than formal negotiations.
To illustrate the point, she recalls a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied that transformed after she asked if she could smoke a cigarette. The informal exchange, she says, helped establish one of her strongest diplomatic relationships.
Meloni also shares stories involving leaders from Albania, Serbia, Japan, Poland and Uzbekistan, each demonstrating how personal gestures can strengthen international ties.
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Tolkien, roses and unexpected gifts
According to News 18, among her favourite memories is a visit to Poland, where then-prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki took her to a café themed around J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, knowing of her admiration for the author.
She also recalls receiving orange roses from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, a Hello Kitty doll for her daughter from former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and a specially translated Uzbek edition of her memoir from Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
