Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has recalled a light-hearted remark from Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani during her 2023 visit to India, saying the scale of her public welcome in New Delhi prompted him to joke that she could win an election in the Indian capital.
In her new book, Giorgia's Vision, based on conversations with journalist Alessandro Sallusti, Meloni reflected on how personal interactions and informal exchanges often play a key role in diplomacy.
Recalling her arrival in New Delhi in March 2023, Meloni wrote that she was surprised by the number of welcome posters displayed across the city.
“When I arrived, there was a poster with my face and the word ‘Welcome' every few feet along the road. When I left, the posters showed the same image, but now read ‘Thank you for visiting',” she wrote.
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“My colleague Antonio Tajani, who was with me, joked: ‘With all these posters, if you ran for the New Delhi constituency, you'd get a million votes',” Meloni added.
The Italian leader visited India twice in 2023, first for the Raisina Dialogue and later for the G20 Summit.
In a chapter titled Head Held High Among the World Greats, Meloni argued that diplomacy often extends beyond formal negotiations. “A few witty words, a personal story, a common interest, it can make all the difference,” she wrote.
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The book also recounts personal moments with several global leaders, including Tunisia's President Kais Saied, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić, former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Poland's former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Published by Rupa Publications, Giorgia's Vision explores themes ranging from leadership and national identity to family, faith and international relations.
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