02:28A German government spokesperson said that the decision of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to call for snap elections in his country was "reasonable," in the wake of a scandal involving his former Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache that resulted in his resignation.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Monday, spokesperson Martina Fietz added that "we work closely with the Austrian partners and I cannot report any distrust to you."
A widely-circulated video shows Strache allegedly accepting support in the latest round of Austrian elections from a woman claiming to have Russian ties in exchange for public contracts in 2017.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rainier Breul also responded to a question about recent bellicose tweets by US President Donald Trump directed at Iran, saying that "we disapprove of reciprocal threads and verbal escalation, which might - even without having the intention to - lead to an even bigger escalation."
""And in the current case I can only repeat, what my colleague of the Foreign Ministry has said, that we don't [...] an aggravation in rhetoric, that we condemn this and that we have no interest in worsening the situation," echoed Fietz.
Germany: Berlin dubs Austrian snap elections 'reasonable' in wake of video scandal
A German government spokesperson said that the decision of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to call for snap elections in his country was "reasonable," in the wake of a scandal involving his former Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache that resulted in his resignation.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Monday, spokesperson Martina Fietz added that "we work closely with the Austrian partners and I cannot report any distrust to you."
A widely-circulated video shows Strache allegedly accepting support in the latest round of Austrian elections from a woman claiming to have Russian ties in exchange for public contracts in 2017.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rainier Breul also responded to a question about recent bellicose tweets by US President Donald Trump directed at Iran, saying that "we disapprove of reciprocal threads and verbal escalation, which might - even without having the intention to - lead to an even bigger escalation."
""And in the current case I can only repeat, what my colleague of the Foreign Ministry has said, that we don't [...] an aggravation in rhetoric, that we condemn this and that we have no interest in worsening the situation," echoed Fietz.
A German government spokesperson said that the decision of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to call for snap elections in his country was "reasonable," in the wake of a scandal involving his former Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache that resulted in his resignation.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Monday, spokesperson Martina Fietz added that "we work closely with the Austrian partners and I cannot report any distrust to you."
A widely-circulated video shows Strache allegedly accepting support in the latest round of Austrian elections from a woman claiming to have Russian ties in exchange for public contracts in 2017.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rainier Breul also responded to a question about recent bellicose tweets by US President Donald Trump directed at Iran, saying that "we disapprove of reciprocal threads and verbal escalation, which might - even without having the intention to - lead to an even bigger escalation."
""And in the current case I can only repeat, what my colleague of the Foreign Ministry has said, that we don't [...] an aggravation in rhetoric, that we condemn this and that we have no interest in worsening the situation," echoed Fietz.