Romania recalls Kenya ambassador over racist monkey slur
WORLD 11 June 2023 - 10:00
Romania has recalled its ambassador to Kenya and apologised after he compared Africans to monkeys.
Dragos Tigau made the comments during a meeting at a UN building in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, on April 26, BBC News reports.
According to the AFP news agency, Mr Tigau said "the African group has joined us" when he saw a monkey outside a window.
Mr Tigau's behaviour was first made public on June 8 by Kenyan foreign affairs official Kamau Macharia.
On Twitter Mr Macharia said he was left "appalled and disgusted" by the incident, and claimed that attempts were made to cover up Mr Tigau's behaviour.
African diplomats on June 9 demanded a public apology, according to Kenya's Standard newspaper, insisting that a private apology was not enough.
On June 10, Romania announced that it had only been informed of the incident this week and had now begun "a procedure to recall its ambassador".
"We deeply regret this situation and offer our apologies to all those who have been affected," the statement from Romania's foreign affairs ministry read.
"Any behaviours or comments of a racist nature are completely unacceptable," it added, saying it hoped it would not affect its ties with African countries.
Romania mainly engages with African nations through its membership of the European Union, but it has bilateral trade deals with Egypt among others.
The Kenyan government has not commented on the decision to recall Mr Tigau.
Romanian media have criticised his behaviour, and say this is not the first time the country has been embarrassed by insults dished out by diplomats.
In 2014, Romania's ambassador to Armenia was recalled after making anti-Semitic jokes about Jewish bosses and questioning the morality of same-sex relationships.
The following year, Bucharest apologised after invitations to a reception at its Paris embassy accidentally included unflattering descriptions of some guests - labelling them "ghastly" and "undesirable" among other things.
Caliber.Az
1
|
Critical F-35 upgrade deferred, 2024 production slashed by 27-50%
01 May 2024 - 09:05
|
2
|
Armenian Church sparks controversy amid handover of villages to Azerbaijan Unrest & dissent in Armenia
30 April 2024 - 18:02
|
3
|
Mr Fouks - the servant of too many masters How much does the reputation cost?
29 April 2024 - 17:15
|
4
|
French journalist's hunger strike in Yerevan airport over politically driven entry ban Why are Armenia's friends silent?
29 April 2024 - 12:41
|
5
|
“Russian fertiliser is the new gas” for Europe, top producer warns
30 April 2024 - 16:46
|
Russia says it sees no point in Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland
02 May 2024 - 21:10
Azerbaijan, Türkiye strengthen cooperation in human rights field
02 May 2024 - 21:03
Pakistan Air Force eyes to buy Chinese long-range drones
PHOTO02 May 2024 - 20:54
Low-coster FlyArystan launches direct flights from Aktau to Baku
02 May 2024 - 20:38
Britain could soon lose control of its defence industry
Expert Q&A02 May 2024 - 20:20
Azerbaijan, Türkiye discuss prospects of co-op on legal assessment of mine threat
PHOTO02 May 2024 - 20:15
Israeli Air Force attacks Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
VIDEO02 May 2024 - 20:03
US urges Georgia to reaffirm EU, NATO aspirations
02 May 2024 - 19:55
Official: Italy renders assistance to protect infrastructure in Caspian Sea
02 May 2024 - 19:46
OPEC+ could extend oil cuts, formal talks yet to start
02 May 2024 - 19:29
Armenia, Ukraine discuss situation in South Caucasus
02 May 2024 - 19:20
ADB rep: COP29 to help advance Central Asia's climate change action
02 May 2024 - 19:12
Yerevan, Washington discuss military cooperation
02 May 2024 - 18:55
Iran announces sanctions on several figures, entities in US, UK
02 May 2024 - 18:39
Azerbaijani top diplomat, Russian presidential special rep mull cooperation, regional developments
02 May 2024 - 18:29
Chairman: Azerbaijan pays great attention to tourism sector development
02 May 2024 - 18:21
ICESCO chief hails Azerbaijan's leadership in promoting intercultural dialogue, peace
02 May 2024 - 18:15
Armenian PM: Police must be entitled to use force
02 May 2024 - 18:03
Media: RKK/YPG terrorists forcibly recruit children
02 May 2024 - 17:48
EU aid to Armenia stalled as Hungary pushes for Azerbaijan's inclusion
Geopolitical tensions revealed02 May 2024 - 17:41
Vardanyan's nomination and devaluation of Nobel Peace Prize
Martin Sherman's article02 May 2024 - 17:30
Turkish authorities take down organized crime syndicate in Operation Mahzen-36
VIDEO02 May 2024 - 17:14
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan discuss new format of business ties
02 May 2024 - 17:00
Israel's showdown in Rafah: Defying pressure, determined to dismantle Hamas
Caliber.Az on YouTube02 May 2024 - 16:50
Envoy: EU pleased to see progress in Azerbaijan-Armenia border delimitation
02 May 2024 - 16:44
CEC chairman: Azerbaijan considers postponing parliamentary elections due to COP29
02 May 2024 - 16:38
Türkiye destroys over 800 terrorists in 2024
VIDEO02 May 2024 - 16:28
World religious leaders adopt Shusha Declaration
02 May 2024 - 16:15
Azerbaijan reduces discount rate amid downtrend in global economy
Central Bank takes action02 May 2024 - 16:13
Azerbaijan contributes to climate change action, President Aliyev says
A meeting with UN official Charles Hart02 May 2024 - 15:57
Turkic peoples' crucial role in bridging East-West spotlighted at forum
02 May 2024 - 15:39
EU ready to collaborate with Azerbaijan on climate initiatives for COP29 chairmanship
02 May 2024 - 15:22
Armenian government closes national center for innovation and entrepreneurship due to funding shortfall
02 May 2024 - 15:04
Western Azerbaijan Community denounces biased US report
Urges Congress to abandon pressure on Azerbaijan02 May 2024 - 14:49
France losing its credibility
Article by The Guardian02 May 2024 - 14:32
US warns Georgia about undermining bilateral relations
02 May 2024 - 14:23
Armenian protest movement picketing government, calls for halt to border delimitation
02 May 2024 - 14:17
Armenian opposition, church heighten tensions amid border delimitation talks
Pashinyan navigates political turbulence02 May 2024 - 14:10
Deputy SG emphasizes OTS as crucial for bolstering economic cooperation among Turkic states
02 May 2024 - 14:02
President: Colombia to break diplomatic relations with Israel over war in Gaza
02 May 2024 - 13:47