Giorgia Meloni has revisited her trip to India in 2023 in a new book. The Italian Prime Minister shared a funny anecdote about the warm reception she received New Delhi, where her posters dotted the streets as she arrived and departed.
The account appears in the book “Vision of Giorgia,” which she wrote from her conversations with journalist Alessandro Sallusti, in which she describes how the photos made such a strong impression that her deputy Antonio Tajani, who accompanied her, joked about translating her popularity into votes, according to excerpts cited in the PTI report.
“When I arrived, there was a poster with my face and the word ‘Hello’ every few feet along the road. When I left, the posters showed the same picture, but now it said ‘Thank you for visiting.’
“My colleague Antonio Tajani, who was with me, joked: ‘With all these posters, if you run for the New Delhi constituency, you will get a million votes,’” says the Italian Prime Minister, recalling her visit in March 2023.
Meloni will travel to India twice in 2023. Her most significant official engagement was during her visit in March, when she was in New Delhi for high-level bilateral talks with… Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the visit, she also served as the chief guest and keynote speaker at the 8th Raisina Dialogue. She returned later in the year to attend the G20 summit in September.
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The “personal keys” of diplomacy
In the book, Meloni reflects more broadly on her approach to international relations. “A few witty words, a personal story, a shared interest — they can make a big difference,” she says.
She describes how shared interests, informal conversations, and small gestures often become the basis of trust between leaders.
Cigarette talks
One of the most surprising anecdotes concerns her first meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied, where an informal break helped change the tone of the discussion.
After a lengthy bilateral meeting, Saeed invited her to watch the sea from his residence. Melony, who had resumed smoking after a long break, asked to light a cigarette. “He was so happy! He took out his own pack of cigarettes, and that coffee and cigarette break became our moment,” she recalled in the book.
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“Vision of Georgia”
In Seeing Georgia, written as a series of conversations, Meloni also talks about her friendships with many world leaders. She describes Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama as very attractive and fluent in Italian. She says Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shares her love of Italian wine and once gave her orange roses for her birthday.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also appears in her memories. At the G7 summit in Hiroshima, he reportedly gave her daughter a large Hello Kitty doll.
She recalls Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki taking her to a café in Warsaw with a “Lord of the Rings” theme. She also says that Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave her a translated copy of her memoir “I Am Georgia” during a visit to Rome.
