President Erdoğan's smoking warning to Italian PM Meloni makes waves in Italian press: Macron watched with interest

Erdoğan met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the Peace Summit on Gaza held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Erdoğan's humorous advice to the Italian leader to quit smoking during the meeting was widely covered in the Italian and international press.

Corriere Della Sera: "Erdoğan teases Meloni"

In an article published on the Corriere Della Sera newspaper's website under the headline "Erdoğan teases Meloni," it was noted that Erdoğan and Meloni shared a candid moment and that President Erdoğan smiled as he told the Italian leader she should quit smoking. The report noted that President Erdoğan's remarks made both Meloni and French President Macron laugh.

La Repubblica: "Macron followed with interest"

Similarly, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica's website shared footage of the humorous dialogue between Erdoğan and Meloni in Sharm El-Sheikh. The report, which noted that Erdoğan told Meloni, "You look well, but I must make you quit smoking," also included details that French leader Macron followed the pleasant dialogue between the Turkish and Italian leaders with interest.

Il Giornale: "Trump's delay did not dampen the leaders' spirits"

The Milan-based newspaper Il Giornale stated that the three-hour delay in US President Donald Trump's arrival at the summit, due to his extended visit to Israel, did not dampen the leaders' spirits at all. The report emphasized that the best proof of this was the cheerful dialogue between President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Meloni at the summit, noting that the humorous exchange between the Turkish and Italian leaders brought smiles to the faces of French President Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The La Stampa newspaper's website also presented footage of the dialogue with the headline "Erdoğan jokes with Meloni."

Reflected in the world press

The humorous dialogue between Erdoğan and Meloni was reflected not only in the Italian press but also in the media across Europe, Russia, and the US, particularly in Balkan countries.

The Russia-based TASS news agency reported the story under the headline "Turkish President teases Italian Prime Minister over smoking habit." TASS shared that Erdoğan advised Meloni to quit smoking while shaking her hand.

The European edition of the US-based news outlet Politico presented the story with the headline "Erdoğan wants Meloni to quit smoking, but Macron thinks it's a lost cause."

Writing that Italian PM Meloni is the new target of President Erdoğan's anti-tobacco campaign, Politico noted that Meloni responded to Erdoğan's joke with a joke of her own, saying that if she quit smoking, she might kill someone.

While the Serbian newspaper Politika's website wrote that President Erdoğan warned Meloni about smoking in a "distinctive, semi-joking tone," the Croatian news portal Index included the detail that Meloni had admitted in a book based on a series of interviews that she had started smoking again after quitting 13 years ago.