Russia is ready to provide to the Netherlands information proving that the airspace above Donbas was not closed on the day of the 2014 Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's permanent representative to the European Union, said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2019) Russia is ready to provide to the Netherlands information proving that the airspace above Donbas was not closed on the day of the 2014 Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's permanent representative to the European Union, said on Monday.
"I have not yet seen statements by the Netherlands' foreign minister. I can tell you that Russia was initially ready to provide the joint international team investigating the incident with the information gathered soon after the incident, including the information about the aspect that you have just mentioned ... Unfortunately, the group has ignored our suggestions, but we remain ready to cooperate on clarifying all the circumstances behind the incident. Court hearings will begin in March, and we are ready to present the data that we have," Chizhov said during a video conference at the Rossiya Segodnya International news Agency, when asked to comment on media reports suggesting that the Netherlands has asked Russia to cooperate on investigation into the non-closure of the airspace above eastern Ukraine.
Flight MH17 crashed with 298 people on board on July 17, 2014, in eastern Ukraine while en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, leaving no survivors. Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas have blamed each other for the incident.
The crash is being investigated by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team, which claims that the aircraft was downed by a missile originating from the Russian Armed Forces. The Russian Foreign Ministry has refuted the accusation as groundless and called the investigation biased.
