Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama poked fun at French President Emmanuel Macron and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, making reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s frequent mix-ups of country names.
Rama’s remarks were captured on video and reported by Britain’s The Telegraph, which noted that European leaders laughed at Trump’s repeated confusion of Albania with Armenia.
Trump has often mistaken Albania for Armenia and has also mispronounced Azerbaijan as “Aberbaijan” in comments about peace efforts in the Caucasus. In August, he mediated a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington, where both sides pledged to respect territorial integrity and end nearly 40 years of conflict. His gaffes, however, remain a source of jokes among world leaders.
At one point in the summit, Rama put his hand on Macron’s shoulder and said with a smile: “You must apologize to us… because you didn’t congratulate us for the peace agreement President Trump reached between Albania and Azerbaijan.” Aliyev laughed, while Macron replied: “I’m sorry for that.”
The summit also brought an awkward moment for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who walked into the hall only to find there was no seat reserved for him. Vucic briefly attempted to sit in Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s place but was asked to move by a protocol official. Organizers later brought in an improvised chair, but Vucic appeared visibly uncomfortable. To avoid further embarrassment, Sanchez eventually gave up his own seat to him.
The Copenhagen summit gathered dozens of European leaders to discuss security and regional issues.