A Visit a Little Too boozy !
It was supposed to be a major diplomatic event. A state visit to Italy, carefully staged, with the mission of projecting the image of an influential, supported, and respected Algeria. But as often happens when illusion takes precedence over strategy, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s trip to Rome turned into… a full-blown diplomatic farce. And this, from the very first images: a well-set table, wine glasses overflowing, complicit smiles, and an Algerian head of state, visibly at ease, facing his Italian counterparts delighted with the atmosphere… wine included.
This detail didn’t escape the press, nor social media. The contrast was striking: a president from a regime that prides itself on strict moral values, joyfully seated in front of glasses filled with a drink his own government brands as haram and decadent—at least when criticizing neighboring countries. At this point, it’s no longer a contradiction, it’s a full-blown festival of paradoxes. Some might see it as festive diplomacy, others as symbolic weakness. The cameras didn’t flinch: they caught it all—glass by glass, smile by smile.
But the tastiest part wasn’t in the glasses. It was in the words. During his joint press conference with Giorgia Meloni, Tebboune thought it wise to declare—boldly—that Italy and Algeria were “renewing their support for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.” A statement undoubtedly drafted in advance by Algeria’s foreign ministry, convinced diplomacy is like theatre: write the script first, then invent the other side’s lines. Trouble is, Meloni doesn’t act in other people’s plays.
The Italian Prime Minister, visibly unimpressed by this diplomatic appropriation attempt, responded with icy calm and efficiency. No support for the Sahara, no alignment with Algeria’s stance, and above all, no apparent interest in getting involved in a regional conflict Europe is trying to avoid. The result? Tebboune found himself alone, standing before the microphones, with his prepared lines instantly contradicted by his host. A moment of diplomatic solitude that not even Chianti or cheerful smiles could soften.
Even worse, Algeria’s official news agency (APS) initially published a triumphant statement praising a “total convergence” between Rome and Algiers… only to quietly delete it later and replace it with a watered-down version scrubbed of any mention of the Sahara. On the Italian side, the official communiqué was crystal clear: a simple reference to a “mutually acceptable solution under UN auspices.” In other words: no support, no recognition, not even a polite nod. Just a diplomatic placeholder as vague as it gets.
In the end, this Rome visit, sold as a highlight of Algerian diplomacy, mostly exposed the isolation of a regime that confuses diplomacy with stagecraft. When more time is spent inventing alliances than building them, setbacks become inevitable. And if the glasses were full that evening, it’s probably because the diplomatic void was even fuller. What will be remembered from this visit: a president who thought he had conquered Rome… but left with a splendid diplomatic hangover. Cheers!