New Zealand Foreign Minister To 'Confront' Erdogan's Comment On Mosque Massacre - Ardern

New Zealand Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will "confront" the recent comment by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan related to the deadly mosque attack in New Zealand's Christchurch, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2019) New Zealand Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will "confront" the recent comment by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan related to the deadly mosque attack in New Zealand's Christchurch, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday.

Erdogan said on Tuesday that New Zealand and Australian citizens having anti-Muslim views would return home from Turkey "in coffins," like their "grandparents" did after the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place between 1915 and 1916. His comment was motivated by the fact that the suspected perpetrator of the attack, which left 50 people dead last Friday, explained his motives with his anti-Muslim views. The suspect is an Australian national and a resident of New Zealand.

"Our deputy prime minister will be confronting those comments in Turkey ... Our deputy prime minister is traveling [there] and, as he has said, he is setting the record straight, face-to-face," Ardern told reporters in Christchurch, as quoted by the 1TVNZ broadcaster.

Peters is set to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Co-operation in Turkey later in the week as an observer.

Ardern voiced hope that the relationship between Turkey and New Zealand would not deteriorate over Erdogan's comment.

"I do not accept that we will see the long-term change in our relationship. It is so deeply entrenched. They [Turkey] cared for our fallen," she said.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday that he would summon Turkish ambassador in Canberra in the wake of the "very offensive" comment.

Last Friday, New Zealand was rocked by two consecutive terrorist mass shootings at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. The suspect, who was immediately detained, has been identified as 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant. Ahead of the attack, he released a manifesto online, in which he expressed strong anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiments.