Iran Dismisses Media Hype on Canada Filing Complaint over Ukrainian Plane Incident

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed the media hype over Canada's complaint on Ukrainian plane incident, saying that anyone familiar with the basics of international law knows that a Canadian court has no authority to deal with what happened outside its jurisdiction.

News ID: 82010

Date: 11 September 2020 - 17:42

"In the media, we had news about the submission of a complaint from Canada to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Ukrainian plane. Obviously, the Foreign Ministry has not and will not receive such a thing," he said.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said the case of the Ukrainian plane incident is being pursued carefully and seriously in the two directions of negotiations with the Ukrainian government, as well as simultaneous judicial proceedings inside Iran.

"As to the Ukrainian government, this issue has been negotiated within the framework of international treaties and conventions accepted by Iran, and a delegation from Ukraine will soon come to Iran to continue these negotiations, Khatibzadeh addeed.

He further noted that if the Canadian government really intends to help the bereaved families about the incident, it must stop these shows with special political motivations.

A Ukrainian Boeing 737 passenger plane was accidentally shot down by an Iranian rocket near Tehran on January 8, 2020.

It happened after the US terrorist attack against motorcade of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, late anti-terror Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods forces and his companions near Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.

Iran reciprocated the US terrorist operation by hitting the US Ain al-Assad airbase in Iraq

Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh admitted that human error the incident.

In relevant remarks on September 1, Iran's Ambassador to Ukraine Manouchehr Moradi said his country has suggested October 18-21 as the date for the 2nd round of talks with Ukraine on paying compensation for the downed airplane’s victims, adding that Tehran is waiting for Kiev to confirm the proposed date.

Moradi also said that Iran has interrogated several individuals related to the incident.

"In this incident, all the defendants are military personnel. Six individuals have been arrested, three are in custody and three have been released on bail,” he said, adding, “All affiliated military ranks from the operator and above have been interrogated and dozens were summoned to be questioned."

The envoy stressed that Iran is ready to pay the compensation in accordance with international rules and the conventions to which it is a party.

Iranian Ambassador to Ukraine Manouchehr Moradi had earlier said the compensation for Ukrainian airliner, that was shot down by mistake near Tehran in January, will be paid on international rules and regulations.

“As it was raised in recent constructive and fruitful negotiations in Kyiv, any compromise on compensation will be just based on the international regulations and commitments of conventions,” Moradi wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday August 15.

He added that Iran is also a member of these conventions and can contribute to the settlement of the issue.

In relevant remarks earlier in August, Chairman of Iran Insurance Company Gholamreza Soleimani said a Ukrainian passenger plane that was downed by mistake near Tehran in early January was insured by European companies that are required to pay compensation for it.

"This plane was insured by Ukrainian and European insurance companies, and this issue has nothing to do with Iranian companies," Soleimani said on August 10.

If any compensation is to be paid for the issue, it should be made by [those European] firms that had insured the plane, he stressed.

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