Iranian, Canadian Foreign Ministers Discuss Ukrainian Plane Crash At Rare Meeting In Oman

Iranian, Canadian Foreign Ministers Discuss Ukrainian Plane Crash at Rare Meeting in Oman

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Canadian counterpart, Francois-Philippe Champagne, on Friday held a meeting in the Omani capital of Muscat at Ottawa's initiative to discuss the crash of the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 near Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Canadian counterpart, Francois-Philippe Champagne, on Friday held a meeting in the Omani capital of Muscat at Ottawa's initiative to discuss the crash of the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 near Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine International Airlines' Kiev-bound Boeing 737-800 crashed on January 8, soon after departing from Iran's Imam Khomeini Airport. Citizens of Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom were among the 176 passengers and crew who perished.

"The parties again expressed regret over the crash of the Ukrainian plane and discussed consular, technical and legal cooperation between Iran and the countries whose citizens were killed in the crash," the ministry wrote on Telegram.

According to the statement, groups of experts from the two countries' foreign ministries intended to continue cooperation on the issue. Zarif and Champagne also agreed to hold another meeting in the near future.

The Iranian military has admitted to unintentionally shooting down the Ukrainian jetliner, having confused it with a hostile cruise missile in anticipation of US retaliation to Iran's massive attack against Iraqi bases housing US military personnel. The Iranian leadership expressed deep regret over the developments, describing the tragedy as an "unforgivable mistake."