"It sometimes happens that I speak in a way that can be misunderstood, but I asked the chancellor (Karl Nehammer) to please put the information in a cultural context," he said in Vienna. "In Hungary, these expressions and sentences represent a cultural, civilizational point of view".
The 59-year-old nationalist leader, used to blows and fiercely anti-migrants, on Saturday rejected the vision of a "multi-ethnic" society.
"We don't want to be a mixed race", which would mix with "non-Europeans", he had said, before making an apparent allusion to the gas chambers of the Nazi regime, which had earned him strong criticism from Holocaust survivors and the Jewish community.
Rare under the Orban era, Zsuzsa Hegedus, a sociologist advising Mr. Orban for a long time and whose parents survived the Holocaust, submitted her resignation on Tuesday. She denounced "a shameful position" and "a pure Nazi text worthy of (Joseph) Goebbels", in reference to the former head of Nazi Germany propaganda.
Since his return to power in 2010, Viktor Orban has transformed his country by implementing "illiberal" reforms, based on the "defense of a Christian Europe".
In particular, he attacked migrants from Africa and the Middle East and the NGOs that came to their aid, tightening the right to asylum and erecting barriers at the borders. But if he had made similar comments in the past, he had not used the term "race" in this way, according to experts.
- "Run into the wall" -
Mr. Nehammer spoke about this new controversy from the start of the press conference, “strongly condemning all forms of racism and anti-Semitism” and ensuring that the two men had addressed the issue “with complete frankness”.
"We are in perfect agreement," reacted Viktor Orban, saying he was "proud" of the "zero tolerance" policy pursued by Hungary.
The two men also discussed "illegal migration" and "energy cooperation", as both countries are heavily dependent on Russian gas.
Mr. Orban took the opportunity to again blame the policy of Brussels in the face of the conflict in Ukraine. Hungary is opposed in particular to the plan for the coordinated reduction of gas consumption, voted on Tuesday in the face of the drop in Russian deliveries.
"If we start to restrict a product, it's a sign that we are in trouble. We are heading towards a war economy and if this war drags on, recession is inevitable", launched the Hungarian Prime Minister.
And to call on the Commission to adopt a new "strategy" and "not to run into the wall" by going further via a gas embargo. An option that is not relevant for the moment.
Viktor Orban was making his first visit to one of his European Union (EU) partners since his triumphant re-election in early April.
Austria, a neutral country that aims to be a bridge between western and eastern Europe, is keen not to sideline Hungary, according to an official speaking on condition of anonymity.
