Rama kneels in front of Meloni: Unusual reception at the Tirana summit!

Rama kneels in front of Meloni: Unusual reception at the Tirana summit!

On May 17, 2025, Albania received the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with Prime Minister Edi Rama as part of the summit of the European Political Community (EPG) in Tirana. The two heads of government maintain a good relationship that was reflected in a special gesture during the reception. Rama knelt on the red carpet of Skanderbeg-Platz when Meloni got out of her car when the rain is pouring. This gesture immediately caused a sensation, and the video of him who kneels was viral in Italy and beyond. However, Meloni reacted embarrassed and asked him several times: "Edi, no", while she was humorous on Rama's height of 2 meters, such as The press reported.

RAMA, who wore white sneakers with the logo of the European political community at the event, illustrated the close friendship between Albania and Italy with his gesture. However, this alliance is not only limited to friendly gestures; It also includes serious political questions, especially with regard to migration. Rama approved the Italian government to the construction of refugee camps for migrants in the Mediterranean, which have now been converted into deportation to accommodate migrants who want to show Italy. Interestingly, the camps in Albania are currently empty because Italy has difficulty bringing asylum seekers there. Legal challenges have led to the fact that previously interned migrants had to be brought back to Italy, such as The time reported

challenges in asylum policy

The Situation around the refugee camps has been tense in the past few months. Courts in Italy decided that asylum applications must not be treated outside the EU. This already led to several legal defeats for Prime Minister Meloni. In January, 3,368 newcomers in Italy were counted, which further illustrates the challenges of the Italian government in asylum policy. The construction and operating costs of the Albanian refugee camp amount to more than 650 million euros, a high sum for structures that cannot currently be used.

In addition, Italian authorities are faced with the problem that rejected asylum applications fail in many cases; A court in Rome had decided that 43 migrants who had previously been brought to Albania were allowed to enter the EU. A ship of the coast guard brought the men to Bari, southern Italy, which once again underlines that the "Albania model", which strives for the classification of countries of origin as safe countries of origin, remains controversial. The European Court of Justice will have to decide on this model on February 25, which makes the next steps for Italy and Albania uncertain.