Israeli Embassy expresses dismay, disappointment with statements by AgriMin Daea

The Israeli Embassy in Bucharest on Thursday released a press statement expressing its "dismay" and "disappointment" with statements by Romania's Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea comparing the slaughter of sick hogs to the killing of innocent Jews at the Auschwitz concentration camp, accordin to agerpres.

"We hope, however, that such an association was made by Minister Daea because of his lack of in-depth knowledge on what the Holocaust and Auschwitz mean, without an intention to dishonour the memory of millions of victims. The Holocaust, a tragedy condemned by Romania that resulted in the deaths of six million Jews, must never be forgotten, trivialised or minimised," the Israeli diplomatic mission says in the statement.

Romania has made "extraordinary" progress with studying, educating and remembering the Holocaust, the embassy says, voicing conviction that the steps will continue in the future.

"This bleak time in the history must not be repeated. No effort is too great for the younger generations to know and understand the history of the Holocaust. We expect the Holocaust words not to be used in an unrelated context," the Israeli Embassy in Bucharest points out.

Agriculture Minister Petre Daea told Antena 3 private broadcaster on Tuesday evening in an attempt to explain the steps taken to contain the African swine fever outbreak at Carniprod Tulcea, where 45,000 head have to be culled: "The only method is slaughter. The hogs are all incinerated (...), it is hard work, much like it was at [the Nazi concentration camp] Auschwitz."