Romania on Saturday said it had recalled its ambassador to Kenya for allegedly comparing a monkey to Africans while attending a meeting in Nairobi.

Dragos Viorel Tigau was at a UN building in Kenya’s capital on April 26 when a monkey appeared at the window of the conference room.

“The African group has joined us,” Tigau said according to a note from the South Sudanese embassy in Kenya seen by AFP.

The Romanian foreign ministry said it had only been informed of the incident this week and “began a procedure to recall its ambassador”.

“We deeply regret this situation and offer our apologies to all those who have been affected,” it added, saying racist behaviour or comments were “absolutely unacceptable”.

Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau said the episode “appalled and disgusted” him.

“Utter shame attempts to cover up this disgrace. This (is) intolerable and unacceptable in any age, let alone (the) 21^stcentury,” he wrote on Twitter. (AFP: Text, Excluding Headline)