New Delhi: A cheeky aside from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has ignited worldwide chatter, turning a Gaza peace summit into an unlikely forum for tobacco talk.
At the Sharm El-Sheikh gathering in Egypt on October 13, aimed at bolstering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Erdogan couldn’t resist: “You look great, but I have to make you stop smoking.” Meloni, unfazed, shot back with a smile, “I know, I know. I don’t want to kill somebody,” eliciting chuckles from onlookers, including a grinning French President Emmanuel Macron, who quipped it was “impossible.”
The viral clip, captured on the sidelines of the high-stakes talks co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, underscores Erdogan’s ongoing crusade for a smoke-free world. The Turkish strongman, fresh from tobacco control triumphs at home, has taken to urging global leaders to ditch cigarettes and alcohol alike.
Meloni’s retort is a nod to her unyielding habit, which she has long admitted to due to her high-pressure role.
Delving deeper, Meloni spilt the beans on her vice during her 2022 election campaign via an online autobiography. The 48-year-old right-wing firebrand confessed to occasionally puffing ultra-slim cigarettes — elegant, low-tar sticks that suit her no-nonsense image — though she skipped specifics on brand or quantity. Post-premiership, she’s been candid too: at a wine fair, she admitted loving alcohol but swore off empty-stomach sips, blending indulgence with restraint.
This revelation resonates deeply in Italy, where 2023 statistics reveal that 10.5 million adults (20% of those over 15) smoke, with men outpacing women at 22%. Alarmingly, 5% of chain smokers smoke over 20 a day, fuelling government pleas for reform.