Ukraine within 60 days to submit its comments on Iran's draft technical report on shooting down UIA aircraft – Enin
Ukraine, together with other interested parties, within 60 days will submit their comments to the draft technical report of Iran on the shooting down of an aircraft of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) near Tehran, said Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhen Enin.
"In accordance with the convention, the Ukrainian side has 60 days, as well as the other states participating in this technical investigation. It includes the state of the operator, the state of the aircraft manufacturer, in this case the United States, and other interested parties, i.e. it will be the result of consolidated work. Today it is difficult to establish a specific date, but I am more than convinced that we will meet the 60-day deadline set by the convention," Enin said on the air of Hromadske Radio on Wednesday.
He stressed that the Iranian side should either take into account or not take into account the Ukrainian remarks and proposals, about which the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will be informed in the future.
"We are extremely pleased with these results, which cost a very large concentration of efforts - not only to Ukraine, but also to all international coalition partners of the affected states. Let me remind you that these are Canada, Great Britain, Sweden and Afghanistan. We have repeatedly heard from the Iranian side about the readiness to transfer this draft technical report, at the same time, we've received it only now," Enin explained.
The deputy foreign minister pointed out that the technical report is important because, firstly, it establishes all the causes of the disaster.
"Secondly, it is on the basis of the technical report that the Iranian side will be forced to take a full range of measures to eliminate gaps and shortcomings in the security system in the skies over Iran. Thirdly, it is the materials of the technical investigation that will form the basis of criminal proceedings to bring to criminal responsibility all officials involved in this disaster. Fourthly, it is on the basis of the results of the technical investigation that the amount of compensation that the Iranian side must pay to the relatives of the victims will be largely determined," he stressed.
The UIA Boeing 737-800 passenger plane, which was supposed to operate flight PS752 on the Tehran-Kyiv route, was shot down near the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran immediately after takeoff early in the morning on January 8, 2020.
There were 167 passengers and nine crew members onboard. They all died. Among the dead there were 11 citizens of Ukraine (including nine crew members), 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and three citizens of Great Britain.
On January 11, Iranian authorities said that Boeing was shot down by mistake by the Iranian military.
Later, Commander of the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Amir Ali Hajizadeh took full responsibility for the Ukrainian plane crash.
At the end of July, negotiations were held in Kyiv with the Iranian side to pay compensation for the downed UIA plane.
On October 20, Ukraine and Iran completed the second round of negotiations on the downed UIA plane near Tehran.