Austria, Hungary Move to Resolve Dispute Over Migrant Video

(Bloomberg) -- The governments in Vienna and Budapest tried to quell a tussle over a video in which a Hungarian minister portrayed "white people" in neighboring Austria as living in fear of Muslims.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said an “apology and clarification” by the head of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s office, Janos Lazar, was “a good and important signal,” according to a statement from the chancellery in Vienna.

Lazar had told a televised news conference on Thursday he hadn’t intended to offend anyone or undermine the relations with Austria, just to point to the dangers of migration. His video, posted on Facebook this week, had upset some Austrian politicians who otherwise share a lot of the Hungarian government’s views on immigration policy.

“Our relationship with Hungary is excellent at any rate," Kurz said. "We’re on the same side when it comes to fighting illegal migration.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Boris Groendahl in Vienna at bgroendahl@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vidya Root at vroot@bloomberg.net, Andras Gergely, Balazs Penz

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