Romania has withdrawn its ambassador to Kenya and issued an apology, following his comparison of Africans to monkeys.
The remarks were delivered by the former ambassador on April 26 during a meeting held at a UN facility in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to the press, Tigau declared "the African group has joined us" after spotting a monkey outside a window.
The first mention of Tigau's behavior was made on Thursday by Kamau Macharia, a Kenyan official in charge of international relations. Macharia stated that the encounter left him feeling "appalled and disgusted" and that there had been attempts to cover up Mr. Tigau's actions.
According to Kenya's local media outlet, African diplomats had demanded a public apology, saying that a private apology was insufficient.
Romania said on Saturday that it had only learned of the event this week and that "a procedure to recall its ambassador" had now been started.
"We deeply regret this situation and offer our apologies to all those who have been affected [...] Any behaviors or comments of a racist nature are completely unacceptable," the Romania's foreign affairs ministry stated.
Apart from bilateral trade agreements with Egypt and other African nations, Romania primarily interacts with the continent through its participation in the European Union.
His conduct has drawn criticism from Romanian media, which notes that ambassadors' comments have humiliated the nation before.
Romania's ambassador to Armenia was removed from office in 2014 after making anti-Semitic comments about Jewish employers.