The diplomatic tension that arose between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump before the NATO summit also manifested itself in Ankara.
Modern.az reports that during the leaders' photo shoot at the NATO summit in Ankara, Meloni maintained a distance from Trump and constantly looked in other directions, avoiding eye contact with him.
Giorgia Meloni's behavior did not escape the media's attention.
The tension between the leaders further escalated after Trump's social media post about Meloni, stating, "A restraining order is needed." The protocol moments experienced during the 36th NATO Leaders' Summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, clearly demonstrated the coolness between the two leaders.
An interesting moment also occurred during their arrival at the summit. Although Trump was expected to arrive last, Meloni entered the Presidential Complex after all the other leaders. As Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan entered the hall, Meloni was greeted by Turkey's Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
Turkish media reported that during the family photo, Meloni was observed turning her face in various directions to avoid looking at Trump. This behavior followed the "photo scandal" that had emerged between the two leaders in recent weeks.
Before the summit, Trump shared a photo on social media of him shaking hands with Meloni, captioning it with the phrase, "A restraining order is needed." This post caused widespread resonance in Italy.
The Italian Prime Minister's administration announced that it would not respond to Trump's post and stated that Meloni was focusing her attention on the issues on the NATO summit agenda.
No bilateral meeting took place between Meloni and Trump during the summit.
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Trump's statements "personal opinions."
"We said from the beginning that we would not respond to such statements. We believe that transatlantic relations are more important than the statements of individuals," Tajani said.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto emphasized the importance of maintaining relations with important allies like the United States.
The tension between the two leaders began during the G7 Summit.
In an interview with Italy's La7 television, Trump said about Meloni, "She was begging to take a picture with me. I didn't want to, but I felt sorry for her."
Meloni denied these claims, responding, "Neither I nor Italy ever beg anyone."
Later, Trump claimed on social media that Meloni wanted to be friends with him again after the US military operations against Iran.
Meloni responded by stating:
"President Trump, these continuous and unprovoked attacks make no sense. As for my popularity, being your friend has not given me any advantage."
A.Gorkhmaz
