President Nicușor Dan, attending his first large-scale international meeting, had a privileged position in the group photo at the NATO summit, which began on Tuesday evening with a gala dinner hosted by the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander.
In the photo taken with all the guests on the steps of the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, the official residence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the President of Romania stood in the second row, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to his left, and in front of him were US President Donald Trump and the royal hosts, who occupied the front row.
To the left of President Trump stood King Willem-Alexander, and to his right was the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom the White House chief warmly shook hands.
During the group photo session, Nicușor Dan was smiling, as were the Dutch king and Mark Rutte, the latter seen making small comments. Donald Trump also smiled broadly at one point for the photo.
After the group photo was taken, President Trump turned to Mark Rutte with a friendly gesture, while Queen Maxima smiled and spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, who stood to her left.
King Willem-Alexander turned to Nicușor Dan, with whom he exchanged a few words, while Donald Trump observed and lightly tapped the Dutch sovereign on the arm, listening to what was being said and then making a brief comment. The monarch continued to converse with the President of Romania, while Donald Trump, remaining behind, climbed the steps behind them, alongside Queen Maxima.
It is worth noting that in the family photo, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, considered a close friend of Donald Trump, stood in the back row, next to the Prime Minister of Albania (according to rank, presidents are in the front rows, while prime ministers are behind them). European leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were seated in the second row, along with Nicușor Dan.
The NATO summit in The Hague will continue on Wednesday with a several-hour meeting of leaders during which the main topic will be increasing defense spending.