ABU DHABI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama presented a gift of a scarf to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and serenaded her as she celebrated her 48th birthday on Wednesday.

Rama, who is much taller than Meloni, went down on one knee to hand over the present and sang "tanti auguri" (happy birthday) as the two leaders attended the event in Abu Dhabi.

The lightweight scarf was the creation of an Italian designer who had moved to Albania, as Rama explained to Meloni.

Despite their differing political beliefs - Meloni leads the right-wing Brothers of Italy while Rama is at the helm of Albania's Socialist Party - the two leaders maintain a positive working relationship.

Last year, Meloni and Rama reached an agreement to redirect some of the migrants rescued by Italy at sea to detention centers in Albania due to legal challenges posed to the original plan.

During the summit on Wednesday, Italy, Albania, and the United Arab Emirates agreed on a project valued at least 1 billion euros ($1 billion) to construct a subsea interconnection for renewable energy spanning the Adriatic Sea.