‘You look great, but stop smoking’: Turkey’s Erdogan tells Italian PM Meloni, video goes viral

In the short clip circulating on social media, Erdogan is seen greeting Meloni with a smile before playfully remarking, “I saw you coming down from the plane. You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking.” The Italian leader, slightly surprised but amused, laughed and responded, “I know, I know. I don’t want to kill somebody.”

Standing nearby, French President Emmanuel Macron joined in on the moment, chuckling and saying, “It’s impossible!”, prompting more laughter from those around.

The interaction took place on the sidelines of the Gaza peace summit, a diplomatic event attended by several world leaders, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US President Donald Trump. The meeting focused on efforts to end the war in Gaza and shape a “new beginning” for the region’s post-war future.

(Also Read: ‘Do we go around telling men how handsome they are?’: X blasts Trump over his ‘beautiful’ remark to Giorgia Meloni)

Trump calls Giorgia Meloni ‘beautiful’

Notably, this wasn’t the only interaction of Meloni’s with a world leader in Egypt that went viral. Another video that drew attention was Donald Trump’s awkward compliment to the Italian PM.

During his speech at Sharm El-Sheikh, Trump thanked global leaders for their presence. But when it was Meloni’s turn, he highlighted her “beauty” and asked i she was offended by the compliment.

“We have a woman, a young woman who…I’m not allowed to say it because it’s usually the end of your political career if you say she’s a beautiful young woman,” Trump said. “If you use the word ‘beautiful’ in the United States about a woman, that’s the end of your political career, but I’ll take my chances.”

The US president then turned back to address Meloni and said, “You don’t mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are.”

Trump’s comment divided social media users, with many calling the moment “embarrassing”.