In an unusual event and which has been mentioned as a sign of diplomatic maturity, the Italian government has intervened and paid the bill of four of its citizens who went to visit Albania and ate at a restaurant before escaping without paying.
The news of the tourists who ate and escaped in the city of Berat hit the headlines in both countries.
The conversation made Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama discuss the issue with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, when he was visiting the country.
He responded by telling his ambassador to “go and pay the bill for these idiots,” he told La Stampa newspaper.
According to the statement, the Italian embassy in Albania later confirmed that the cost was paid which was 12500 shillings equivalent to 80 British pounds.
”Italians respect the law and pay their debts and we hope that this incident will not happen again,” it said.
Italy’s agriculture minister and Ms Meloni’s brother-in-law, Francesco Lollobrigida, was also on a trip to Albania and told Reuters news agency that paying the money was a matter of pride.
“A few dishonest people cannot disgrace a nation of decent people,” he said.
It is not known when the incident happened, but the video of the incident taken at the restaurant has gone viral on social media.
