Kiev Waiting for Decoding Results of Black Boxes of Downed Plane From France - Zelenskyy

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) Kiev is waiting for the decoding results of the black boxes belonging to the downed Ukrainian plane near Tehran from France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday.

Earlier in July, Iran sent the black boxes to the BEA, and the Ukrainian president welcomed the move earlier on Monday. According to Zelenskyy, this is a "right step towards concluding" the investigation into the plane crash.

"The impeccable reputation of the French #BEA, and the participation of experts of Canada, the United States and Ukrainian experts will ensure the most accurate results of the study of the black boxes of the Boeing 737 flight PS752.

#Ukraine is waiting for the results of the decoding & the start of negotiations with Iran," Zelenskyy tweeted.

Zelenskyy specified that Ukrainian experts from the National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation were taking part in decoding the black boxes. According to the president, the process will be completed shortly.

On January 8, the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 was downed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board. The Iranian authorities said at a later date that the jet had been unintentionally shot down after military personnel confused it with a hostile target amid fears of US strikes.