Story highlights In 2015, the new US Ambassador to the Netherlands blamed Muslims for chaos in Europe

Hoekstra, the new ambassador, zeroed-in on the Netherlands during the remarks

Hoekstra is now apologizing for the comments, after initially denying he ever said them

(CNN) The new US Ambassador to the Netherlands is apologizing for "certain remarks" he made in 2015 suggesting that the Netherlands was in chaos because of Muslims.

Ambassador Pete Hoekstra lied twice to a Dutch news crew about his 2015 comments, calling it "fake news." But on Saturday, he admitted that he "made certain remarks in 2015 and regret the exchange during the Nieuwsuur interview," and apologized.

Please see my comments regarding recent interview. Thank you. Pete pic.twitter.com/gxQOcZ8Duk — Pete Hoekstra (@petehoekstra) December 23, 2017

"For the last 17 years I've been passionate about confronting the global threat of terrorism," Hoekstra said in a statement on Twitter. "This has been a long struggle. We still have much to learn."

The apology comes after Hoekstra denied comments he made at the David Horowitz Freedom Center's 2015 Restoration Weekend, blaming what he broadly described as the "Islamist movement" for the chaos, referencing a "stealth jihad."

"Chaos in the Netherlands. There are cars being burned. There are politicians that are being burned ... and yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands," Hoekstra said then.

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