Romanian ambassador to Armenia back to office after recall period

Romania’s ambassador to Armenia is back to his duties in office after a short recall that followed a controversial statement made during a lecture in Yerevan, Tert.am has learned from an Embassy source.

As to when  Mr. Sorin Vasile returned and with what tasks, the source refrained from giving any comments, asking our correspondent to contact the Foreign Ministry for further details.

The ambassador was recalled to Romania for working discussions after making remarks on religious and sexual minorities in the context of the Armenian Genocide recognition. After the news about the statement was made public, Mr Vasile sent a letter to Civil.net (which published the article), offering his apologies to the Armenians.

“I deeply regret for the unfortunate misunderstanding which could have produced its possible influence on the traditionally strong ties between the Armenian and Romanian peoples. Maybe my judgments were cut from the context, and if that is the case, I feel deeply sorry for it,” he said.

The ambassador statement, which produced a shocking effect in Armenia, was made in response to a student’s question as to whether Romania prioritizes its economic and political ties with Turkey or the moral imperative of recognizing the Armenian Genocide.“It is very difficult to speak of last century’s events … What is morality for us to state that this particular thing is moral? What’s the morality between a normal couple? What about a bisexual couple? And then how about the homosexual one? Are homosexuals normal or not? … Thus it is the same as … Everything is relative. This is the reply to your question. For a same-sex couple, this is perfect; it is the family model,” he said.