Here is the message Victor Ponta posted on Facebook.
UPDATE – Transport Minister Ioan Rus, came to the Government for discussions with Prime Minister Victor Ponta. The discussion comes amid the statements Rus made against the Romanians working abroad, the minister said he would resign if required.
After the statements he made on a television station offending Romanians working abroad, Rus added during the live broadcast on Antena 3 that he would ask the Prime Minister to accept his resignation. The Minister insisted that he had good intentions when he made the insulting statements.
"For those who felt offended by this, I do apologize. It was an unfortunate phrasing. Quite unfortunate...I have not labeled anyone. My statement was made in a positive sense. " Rus sai.
Asked "who are the whores and who are the punks" he referred to in his statement, Rus a explained: "Some of those who stayed at home and whom we see on TV living in some dramatic situations."
He said he wanted to submit his resignation, but did not know when. "I have some issues to resolve and eventually I will ask the Prime Minister myself to accept my resignation. What else can I say ....So, I made the statement in a positive way. If it came out bad, even very bad to all those who feel offended, I would like to apologies . We will see what is to be done from here on. "
In a press release, Rus apologized "for the phrase chosen" to those offended by it. " I do apologize if by the phrasing chosen I have offended somebody, but my intentions were meant to draw attention to a serious situation that many Romanian families are faced with, without offending them, on the contrary I wanted to commiserate them . I made reference to the disintegration of families and the children left with grandparents or other relatives, due to the fact that their parents left to work in other countries hoping to build a better life.
I did not want to affect in any way the dignity of any person by those statements, but only to draw attention to the high price that thousands of Romanian pay who chose to leave to work abroad, " Minister says in the press release sent by the Office press the Ministry of Transport.