Romanian Ambassador to Kenya Recalled After Allegedly Making Offensive Remark towards African Diplomats at UN Meeting in Nairobi
The Ambassador of Romania in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, Dragos Tigau, has been recalled by the Romanian government. This decision came after African diplomats accused him of using a monkey reference during a meeting held in Nairobi at the Romanian Embassy. The allegations stated that Tigau called African group members “Monkeys” during the meeting at the UN headquarters on April 26. The Romanian government expressed regret over the situation and issued an apology to all those affected.
In response to the accusations, the Romanian government has summoned Tigau to relook into the allegations and determine the necessary internal measures to be taken. The government urged the Romanian Ambassador to Kenya to urgently return to Romania to facilitate this process.
Furthermore, the Romanian government emphasized that Tigau’s statement was considered an isolated case and should not negatively impact the relations between Romania and African countries. They expressed hope that this incident would not affect the deep relations between Romania and African countries, particularly considering that Romanian diplomacy values the development of relations with Africa. The government stressed that their relations with African countries are based on partnership and mutual respect.
It is worth noting that the complaints regarding this incident had subsided until Kenya’s Former Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Macharia Kamau, took to Twitter to accuse the ambassador of racism.
