Ukraine welcomes Iran's decision to assume full responsibility for downing of UIA plane

“On 19 October 2020 in Tehran, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevheniy Yenin held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif. During the meeting, the parties discussed the negotiation process regarding the downing of flight PS752 in Iran in January 2020,” the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

In particular, the Ukrainian deputy minister welcomed Iran's decision to assume full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian aircraft, “as well as its readiness to ensure that equal compensation is paid to the relatives of all victims, regardless of their citizenship.”

Yevheniy Yenin also emphasized the necessity for an impartial and objective investigation into the circumstances of the plane crash and called on the Iranian side to provide access to all relevant materials.

"Making progress in negotiations over the downed Ukrainian airliner will facilitate the normalization of cooperation with Iran," he said.

In addition, the Ukrainian diplomat informed Mohammad Zarif in detail of the consequences of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, including the militarization of the Azov-Black Sea region and the repressions by the Russian occupation administration against the residents in temporarily occupied Crimea.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran reaffirmed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and the inviolability of its borders. The Iranian official also gave assurances that no third party countries would influence Iran's policy towards Ukraine.

On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, killing 176 people, including nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK).

On July 18, France's Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority received Flight PS752’s recorders from Iran. Ukraine's Deputy Prosecutor General Yevhenii Yenin said later that the transcript from Flight PS752's recorders had confirmed illegal interference with the plane.

Negotiations on compensation for the downing of Flight PS752 took place in Kyiv on July 30 with the participation of the Iranian delegation.

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