KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2021) Kiev has received from Tehran a draft technical report on the January 8, 2020, Ukrainian plane crash and has 60 days to provide feedback, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhenii Yenin said on Tuesday.
On December 28, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Tehran had handed the report to Kiev. Top Ukrainian diplomat Dmytro Kuleba, however, said on December 30 that the country was still waiting for the report.
"Yes, they did hand [it] over on the evening of December 31, at the fifth attempt. Now all competent agencies are thoroughly examining it," Yenin said, as quoted by the Suspilne Novyny news outlet.
According to the official, Ukraine can offer its remarks and suggestions related to the report within the next 60 days, after which Iran will have another month to finalize the document. The report will be published only after approval by the International Civil Aviation Organization council.
"It is too early to comment on the report. At the moment, we only confirm the receipt of it. Further, analysis will show how much it satisfies us in terms of objectivity and impartiality," the deputy minister added.
The Kiev-bound Boeing 737-800 crashed almost immediately after takeoff from Tehran on January 8. All 176 people aboard were killed, including nationals of Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Canada, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Three days later, Iran admitted that the jet had been mistakenly shot down by its armed forces, who confused it for a hostile cruise missile. The crash took place amid an escalating confrontation between Tehran and Washington following the US killing of prominent Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in a targeted strike.
