Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, shakes hands with Romania's President Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
January 18, 2018 - 1:38 AM
BUCHAREST, Romania - Hundreds of Romanians have apologized to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whose visit to Romania at the end of a European tour fell short on protocol and diplomacy.
First, lunch and talks scheduled for Tuesday with the premier were cancelled after Mihai Tudose unexpectedly resigned the night before.
With several hours to kill before a meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Abe made an unscheduled visit to the outdoor Village Museum which features traditional peasant houses.
Embarrassed, Romanians expressed their apologies to Abe on the Japanese Embassy's Facebook page.
One post Thursday read: "As a Romanian citizen, please accept my sincere apologies for the unacceptable and disrespectful behaviour of our country's government."
"I can only hope that this type of diplomatic misbehaviour won't happen again in the future of Romania."
News from © The Associated Press, 2018