10. Question No. 10—Foreign AffairsHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) to the Minister of Foreign AffairsQuestion No. 10—Foreign Affairs10. Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What is the Government's official reaction to claims made by the Russian foreign ministry that New Zealand is responsible for the murder" of seven children in Afghanistan?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs): First I would like to thank Mr Brownlee for his question. The last time the Minister of Foreign Affairs received a question from the Opposition was on 20 February this year. Evidently things have been going perfectly for the last 10 months. The firing ranges in Bamian have been used by a number of international force—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was an interesting introduction to the question. These are important matters. Mr Peters often tells the world how important he is so he's only ever asked important questions. I think his response—or his opening to that question—was somewhat unparliamentary.SPEAKER: Probably at about the same level as the point of order. The Rt Hon Winston Peters—with the substance of the answer.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: It was out of appreciation. I was beginning to feel neglected.SPEAKER: Order! Order! I think the member's coming very close to misleading the House.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The firing ranges in Bamian have been used by a number of international forces over multiple conflicts. This makes it extremely difficult to definitively link specific unexploded ordinance incidents with particular munitions or countries. The members should also note that it was the previous Government which failed to clear the ranges to an acceptable standard introduced in November 2013. Therefore it's strange that they wish to raise this of all issues in the House though we are more than willing Mr Brownlee to engage.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Will he be calling in the Russian Ambassador to set the record straight telling him the New Zealand Defence Force did clear to the acceptable standard at the time the particular range in question?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: On behalf of myself the Russians have been aware of the New Zealand Defence Force statement issued on 5 November 2019 which makes it clear what the New Zealand position is. It's publicly available and we're not deviating from it.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Does his inaction in engaging with the Russian Ambassador here in New Zealand in defence of the New Zealand Defence Force indicate a Government acceptance of the allegations made by the Russians?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: This Government is famous for defending the Defence Force and provisioning them with the equipment they need for the first time in about 11 years. Here's the reality though. Just because some apparatchik in the Russian foreign service makes a statement is no reason for us to react.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Has he been told by his ministry that the Russians left an estimated 30 million landmines in Afghanistan and that those landmines kill or maim some 2000 Afghans every year; and if so why is he accepting the allegations made against New Zealand defence forces by the Russian Government?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: If any member of this Parliament had a grasp of history they'll know it was decades ago that the Russians left and that they had nine years to tell the Russians about their failure and never did.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Will he be calling in the Russian Ambassador to explain to him that it is unacceptable to the New Zealand Government—the allegations that have been made against the New Zealand Defence Force—when they have left 30 million landmines that kill or maim 2000 Afghans every year?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The reality is we will consider the member's request and it may be that we'll have to overcome the neglect of nine years before us where they said nothing. But we're not going to react to an apparatchik in the foreign services of the Russia which had as that person's intent an attack on the UK where they saw us as collateral damage. We don't react like that.Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern: Can the Minister confirm that the Government sought to set the public record straight by acknowledging that the New Zealand Defence Force yes met the standard at the time when they cleared the ranges and departed from Afghanistan; and had been undertaking work to go further and meet the additional new standards; and at the same time had cleared a significant—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern: —amount of unexploded munitions—SPEAKER: Order! The Prime Minister is now on to—[Interruption] Order! The Prime Minister will resume her seat. [Interruption] No no and I've ruled the question out. There are four legs to it. The Prime—Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Mr Speaker—SPEAKER: No no; the member will resume his seat.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With this exception I'm not challenging your ruling but lives matter and people's lives have been lost and the accusations that are being attempted—to sheet them against our country. And I'd like to defend our forces who after all—SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat. If the Minister or anyone in the Government wants to ask an in-order supplementary question in order to do that that will be acceptable but I do want to make it clear that the Prime Minister is not exempt from the rules for asking supplementary questions even if she is relatively out of practice. Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern: Can the Minister confirm that the Government set the public record straight on the matters that the member has raised? Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The answers to all the Prime Minister's questions have been yes yes and yes. More than 200 tonnes worth of unexploded munitions have been cleared by our Defence Force and a number of those will date back as far as the 1980s after a decades-long war. We support our defence forces going about their public duty.Hon David Bennett: No you don't. You're a dreamer.SPEAKER: Order! Mr Bennett at least get your interjections in order. Hon Gerry Brownlee: Will the Minister be calling in the Russian Ambassador to express to him the Government's dissatisfaction at the allegations laid against the New Zealand Defence Force and to perhaps even ask for the Russian Government to consider putting a little bit of funding into the extreme costs now being met by the New Zealand taxpayer to clear up some of the 30 million landmines left in Afghanistan by the Russians?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I don't have to. The Russian Ambassador's watching this programme as I speak and is hanging on every word."