Ukraine Wants Iran's Guilty Plea Over Plane Crash Formalized - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko

Kiev wants Iran's guilty plea for shooting down a Ukrainian plane near Tehran be cemented in an internationally recognized document, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said Friday

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Kiev wants Iran's guilty plea for shooting down a Ukrainian plane near Tehran be cemented in an internationally recognized document, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said Friday.

"There are many precedents when public statements [were initially made but] were not confirmed later. We want Iran's admission of guilt to be publicly formalized [in the form of] an internationally recognized document," Prystaiko told the Ukrainian parliament.

A Kiev-bound Boeing operated by the Ukraine International Airlines crashed on January 8 near Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three UK nationals were among the victims. Most of the victims were students.

On Saturday, the Iranian military admitted to unintentionally shooting down the jetliner, having confused it with a hostile cruise missile in anticipation of a US attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kiev expected Tehran to take full responsibility for the accident and all related consequences, including official apologies, the prosecution of those responsible and a transparent investigation.