Ukraine, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom are demanding that Iran agree to arbitration in a dispute related to the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 on January 8, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reports.

"We, Ministers representing Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, have taken concrete action today to ensure that our efforts to hold Iran to account for the unlawful downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (Flight PS752) can progress to the dispute settlement phase," according to a statement of the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752.

In particular, in accordance with Article 14 of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation, 1971, ministers "requested that Iran submits to binding arbitration of the dispute related to the downing of Flight PS752 by two surface-to-air missiles launched unlawfully and intentionally by members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defence unit."

It is stressed that the Coordination Group remains committed to pursuing efforts to hold Iran accountable for its multiple breaches of its international legal obligations pursuant to several treaties.

"This action is part of our broader approach to ensuring there is transparency, justice and accountability the victims and their families," the statement notes.

As reported, the UIA Boeing 737-800 passenger plane, which was supposed to operate flight PS 752 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 admitted that Boeing was shot down by the Iranian military mistakenly. Later, commander of Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that took full responsibility for the crash of the Ukrainian plane.