Todd Bishop
After the Iranian military acknowledged the mistaken shooting down of a Ukrainian National Airlines passenger plane and killed 176 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement on January 11 asking Iran to hold relevant parties responsible, compensation and a formal apology. As for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he said he expected Iranian authorities to cooperate fully with the investigation.
The Uzbekistan aviation disaster involves many countries. On January 8th, the Iranian military mistakenly shot down an U.S. airliner flight number PS-752 near the airport in the capital Tehran. All 176 people were killed on board, including 82 Iranians and 57 Canadians (Authorities previously referred to 63 Canadians, later corrected), 11 Ukrainians, and other multinationals.
Ukraine: demands accountability and compensation
Ukrainian President Zelensky issued a statement saying “Iran has pleaded guilty to the air crash, but we insist on a full admission of guilt.” He said he expected Iran to ensure that they would cooperate with a comprehensive and open investigation and pursue it. The legal responsibilities of relevant persons, the return of the remains of the victims, and the payment of compensation, he also said that he required officials from the other party to formally apologize through diplomatic channels.
Canada: Expects Iran to cooperate fully
As for Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Canada’s work still focuses on helping the families of the victims to seek justice and accountability. He described this as a national tragedy and every Canadian is mourning. He said that Canada would continue to work with partners around the world to ensure a complete and thorough investigation, and he stressed that the Canadian government expects the Iranian authorities to cooperate fully.
