A career diplomat at the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Dragos Viorel Tigau presented his credentials to former President Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2021 at State House, Nairobi.
He has been recalled by Bucharest for uttering a racist remark during an April Eastern European diplomats meeting.
According to Romanian Newspaper, Libertatea- Mr. Tigau 56, was on his first mission as a career ambassador, but he has held various positions at the Romanian Foreign Ministry, including heading the Romanian Consulate in Spain.
He also served at the Consulate of Romania in Hungary, their Embassy in Canada, as well as the London mission.
Back home in Bucharest, the ambassador has had a stint at senior ministerial positions.
He was the head of the NATO Directorate. Also served as the North America Directorate Deputy Director including serving at the Asymmetric Risks and Non-Proliferation Directorate at the Romanian ministry.
RACIST REMARK
On April 26, the envoy uttered a slur that sparked a wave of controversy in the diplomatic community prompting his recalling.
The diplomatic incident occurred during an Eastern European diplomat meeting he chaired, where he referred to Africans by stating, “The African group has joined us,” after noticing a black monkey in the vicinity.
This offensive remark was followed by a written protest by African diplomats demanding a public written apology including expulsion from Kenyan soil.
On Saturday morning, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reacted to stories published by Kenyan Foreign Policy and announced that Tigau was being recalled to the capital for the gross diplomatic mistake.
Despite Bucharest recalling her envoy, the absence of a timely and substantive response from Nairobi through the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs led by Alfred Mutua has left many perplexed.
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