PM Rama meets NATO chief in upbeat tone ahead of The Hague summit
Despite rising tensions in the Middle East over the Israel-Iran conflict, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte appeared in high spirits as he met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama ahead of the alliance’s informal summit in The Hague.
Why is this important: The warm and lighthearted encounter between the two leaders underscores the close rapport between Rama and Rutte, the former Dutch Prime Minister who recently took over as NATO Secretary General.
Context: In footage shared by Rama’s press office, the prime minister can be seen calling out to Rutte from a distance. Rutte responds by sprinting toward him, prompting laughter and a cheerful greeting. During the official photo-op, Rutte jokingly stood on his toes in an attempt to outmatch Rama’s height—despite both leaders being similarly tall.
However, their bilateral discussions quickly turned to serious matters. Central among them was NATO’s strategic interest in supporting the new military terminal at Porto Romano, Albania’s upcoming port facility in Durrës. Rama and Rutte also revisited commitments made during last year’s European Political Community Summit in Tirana, particularly on strengthening Western Balkan security cooperation.
What else: Preparations for the 2027 NATO Summit—set to be hosted in Tirana—were also on the agenda. Rama later held a separate meeting with members of the NATO Observer Group in the U.S. Senate, as Albania continues to position itself as a proactive and reliable partner in Euro-Atlantic defense and diplomacy.
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