Romania has taken the decision to recall its ambassador to Kenya and issue an apology after the ambassador, Dragos Tigau, made a racist comment comparing Africans to monkeys during a

meeting at a UN building in Nairobi on April 26.

The incident came to light when Kenyan foreign affairs official Kamau Macharia publicly denounced the ambassador's behavior on Thursday, expressing his shock and disgust. Mr. Macharia also alleged that there were attempts to cover up the incident.

African diplomats demanded a public apology, emphasizing that a private apology would not suffice, as reported by Kenya's Standard newspaper.

Following these developments, Romania announced on Saturday that it had been informed of the incident only recently and had initiated the process to recall its ambassador.

In an official statement, Romania's foreign affairs ministry expressed deep regret over the situation and offered apologies to all those affected. It strongly condemned any racist behavior or comments, deeming them completely unacceptable, and expressed hope that this incident would not negatively impact its relations with African countries.

Romania primarily engages with African nations through its European Union membership, although it also maintains bilateral trade agreements with countries such as Egypt.

The Kenyan government has not yet commented on Romania's decision to recall Ambassador Tigau.

The Romanian media has criticized the ambassador's conduct, highlighting that this is not the first instance where diplomats have caused embarrassment for the country. In 2014, Romania's ambassador to Armenia was recalled after making anti-Semitic jokes and questioning same-sex relationships' morality. Additionally, Bucharest issued an apology in 2015 after invitations to a reception at its Paris embassy inadvertently included derogatory descriptions of some guests, labeling them as "ghastly" and "undesirable," among other disrespectful terms. Photo by Ivan Radic, Wikimedia commons.