Kneeling, hugging and 'hot' kisses: the cases when Rama has turned diplomacy into a spectacle

What happened?

After the end of the official visit to Tokyo, Rama attempted to kiss the hands of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a gesture he has previously made with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and EC President Ursula Von der Leyen. The Japanese counterpart distanced herself from Rama's action, maintaining the official reception she gave the Albanian prime minister.

context

'Shoqman', unconventional diplomacy, theatrical politics, attention-grabbing diplomacy... are just some of the epithets that international media have given to Prime Minister Edi Rama, for the gestures made during official visits or meetings at major summits.

"Rama likes to make a splash in the international press with his iconoclastic decisions ," wrote " Le Monde" in an article published in 2024.

The most talked about has been his relationship with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. The pair have often been seen close to each other, 'undressed' from the politician's suit. Rama has been seen kissing and hugging other international leaders in the "bro hug" style, who, when embarrassed, have not always been able to avoid it.

Kneeling, hugging and 'hot' kissing with Meloni

The closeness between Rama and the Italian prime minister was evident during the G7 leaders' meeting in Moldova in 2023. The kiss that the prime minister gave Meloni was labeled in international media headlines as a "hot kiss." Meloni herself was surprised by a kiss that came unexpectedly and at an inopportune moment.

At the European Political Summit in Tirana held in December 2024, Rama knelt down to greet Prime Minister Meloni. As Meloni arrived, Rama set aside his tent, knelt down, and greeted her with a 'namaste,' prompting laughter and a surprised "Edi, no!" from her.

He made the same gesture at an Abu Dhabi Summit when, on the occasion of Meloni's birthday, he knelt down and sang. The prime minister was even careful to give his Italian counterpart a scarf as a gift.

Kiss on the forehead of the Prime Minister of Luxembourg

During a visit to Reykjavik, Iceland, where he attended the Council of Europe summit, Rama made sure to make headlines. In a meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Rama did not hesitate to give Bettel a kiss on the forehead.

Rama kisses Von der Leyen's hand

In December 2024, a summit was held in Tirana, attended by 27 European leaders and several other senior union officials. One of the moments that stood out was when Rama welcomed the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and kissed her hand.

Brotherly hug with Macron

Greeting Macron at the Summit convened in Tirana, Rama praised the French leader. "Here is the Sun King," he said, addressing Emmanuel Macron, who looked somewhat embarrassed. And as if the epithet weren't enough, the prime minister gave him a brotherly hug, not at all unusual for the event.

Diplomacy or political theater?

At first glance, these gestures seem like deviations from classic diplomatic protocol, but in essence they are part of a political style that Edi Rama has cultivated for years.

In traditional diplomacy, leaders maintain distance, control body language, and avoid any gesture that could be interpreted as personal or emotional. Rama, on the contrary, deliberately breaks this code. He uses physical proximity, irony, theatricality, and surprise as tools of political communication. In this sense, the gesture is not just a gesture, but a message.

One reason is international image building . Albania is a small country at the global table, and Rama compensates for this “institutional size” with a strong personal presence. Second, it is a strategy of diplomatic rapprochement . By breaking with formality, he aims to create a sense of personal closeness with leaders, shifting the relationship from institutional to human.

But on the other hand, this approach is also controversial. It is often seen as exceeding the limits of protocol and as a spectacle that can obscure the political message. For some, it is charisma and communication intelligence, for others, it is unnecessary theatrics in diplomacy./ Politiko.al