Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 aircraft has been deployed to assist in potential evacuations from the Middle East, as conflict in the region continues to escalate.
In a ministerial statement delivered to Parliament on Tuesday, Peters said the Government’s immediate priority is ensuring the safety of New Zealanders currently in Israel and Iran.
“Our advice to New Zealanders in Iran and Israel remains to leave if and when they can find a safe route,” Peters said.
“The Government is committed to supporting New Zealanders caught up in this crisis. Since the beginning of the conflict, MFAT has provided 24/7 consular support to New Zealanders in Israel and Iran, and to their families back home in New Zealand. It will continue to do so.”
Peters said discussions are also underway with commercial airlines to support evacuation efforts, and urged all New Zealanders in the region to register with SafeTravel.
Despite New Zealand’s geographic distance from the Middle East, Peters said the economic and diplomatic consequences of the conflict are real and require a measured response.
“We have resisted the pressure from some to expel from New Zealand the Ambassadors of some Middle Eastern countries. We prefer diplomacy to moral outrage.”
He said the Government has engaged extensively with international partners, including visits to Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and meetings with officials from Israel, Iran, the Gulf States, the United States, and Europe.
“Ours is a foreign policy of collecting all the facts, hearing all the perspectives, and applying a careful, reasonable, cool-headed approach to the situation – not kneejerk reaction and simplistic moral posturing.”
Peters expressed concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, describing its behaviour as “a proven pattern of non-compliance,” and reaffirmed New Zealand’s opposition to nuclear proliferation.
He welcomed signs of a potential ceasefire and reaffirmed New Zealand’s support for diplomacy and a two-state solution.
“New Zealand has consistently called for peaceful resolution of this latest conflict. Diplomacy must always be the first resort, not the last.”
“We want de-escalation and dialogue. We want a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living in security and peace side-by-side. We want humanitarian aid to get to those who need it. Ultimately, we want peace.”
Peters said New Zealand does not support Hamas holding hostages, nor Israel occupying Palestinian land.
“The cycle of conflict, now generations old, must end,” he said.
