Iran, Canada Discuss Handling of Ukraine Plane Disaster

TEHRAN (defapress) – The foreign ministers of Iran and Canada in a meeting in Oman discussed consular, technical and legal cooperation among the countries whose citizens have been killed in a January 8 crash of a Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran.

News ID: 79932

Date: 18 January 2020 - 10:55

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne met in Muscat on Friday evening at the request of the Canadian top diplomat.

The two ministers expressed regret at the tragic incident of downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane and discussed the consular, technical and legal cooperation between Iran and the countries that have lost nationals in the crash of the plane, which was shot down by the Iranian air defense due to a human error.

Zarif and Champagne also agreed that expert teams from the foreign ministries of Iran and Canada would keep in contact to handle issues regarding the incident.

They also came up with a plan to meet again at a proper time in the near future.

In a post on his Twitter account on Friday night, Zarif said, “In Oman today, met with Canadian FM @FP_Champagne to discuss consular, technical & legal cooperation among nations impacted by #PS752 tragedy. Agreed on continued exchanges between respective experts.”

“Politicization of this tragedy must be rejected. Focus on victims’ families,” the top Iranian diplomat underlined.

On January 8, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) air defense mistook the Ukrainian passenger plane for a cruise missile and unintentionally shot it down shortly after the jetliner took off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.

All 176 passengers on board the Boeing 737-800 plane were killed.

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