As a former MEP, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is no stranger to the rough and tumble of EU political manoeuvring. 

But even though politicians are not averse to cozying up to one another, this inadvertent snap would make the most Machiavellian schemer blush.   

Hot topic: Former Australian PM Julia Gillard and US President Barack Obama

Times of Malta photographer Mark Zammit Cordina hit his camera's shutter release button just as the Prime Minister and EU Commission vice-president Federica Mogherini were cordially greeting each other yesterday.

Though neither politician is likely to be overjoyed by the photo, they can console themselves with the fact that when it comes to politicians caught in awkward moments, they're in excellent company.  

As the photos below show, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande can testify that though the camera might not lie, it can very easily distort the truth. 

Ms Mogherini, who is the EU's top diplomat and a former Italian foreign affairs minister, was in Malta on a brief visit at the tail-end of a Mediterranean tour that encompassed trips to Cyprus and Tunisia.

Loving neighbours: Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy.

Cuddle politics: No stiff handshakes for French President Francois Hollande and US Secretary of State John Kerry.