New Zealand Foreign Minister Says Misunderstanding With Turkey Over Christchurch Resolved

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Friday that a misunderstanding with Turkey over its reaction to a shooting in two mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch had been "cleared up

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2019) New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Friday that a misunderstanding with Turkey over its reaction to a shooting in two mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch had been "cleared up."

Earlier in the day, Peters took part in a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reportedly said Wednesday that the foreign minister would "confront" the comments of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made shortly after the attack. Erdogan used a video footage of the shootings at a campaign rally and spoke about it.

"We were coming here to ensure that the record was correctly understood, that with precision and exactitude they knew what had happened in New Zealand and what our response was ... But in the opening days ... some misinterpretations could have happened, but I am delighted to say that they have all been cleared up," Peters told reporters, when asked about Ardern's comment.

The minister said he had been reassured by Istanbul that New Zealand citizens would be welcome in Turkey.

The Turkish president referred to Australians and New Zealanders who fought at the Gallipoli peninsula at the World War I, saying some of them returned home "in coffins." Gallipoli, located in the European part of Turkey, is popular with tourists from Australia and New Zealand, especially around April 25. On that day in 1915, the troops of the two countries landed in Gallipoli. The campaign was ultimately won by the Ottoman Empire.

Last week's attacks in two mosques in Christchurch killed 50 people and left as many injured. New Zealand police have detained a suspect, Brenton Tarrant.