Next round of talks with Ukraine on plane crash scheduled for October

Tehran, Aug 5, IRNA - Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs Mohsen Baharvand announced on Wednesday that next round of talks between Iran and Ukraine is slated for mid-October in Tehran. The talks will focus of Ukraine's January plane crash in Tehran, Baharvand told IRNA in an exclusive interview. Passenger plane of Ukraine Airlines crashed in southern Tehran on January 8 after a missile attack on its fuselage . All 176 people aboard including nine crew members lost their lives. The human tragedy happened at the height of tension with the United States and the Iranian air defense system had been put on alert to avert possible violation of Iranian airspace by the US drones. Flight 752 of Ukraine Airlines which had taken off from Iran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, moved very close to a sensitive military spot of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). Baharvand said that indemnity will be given based on international documents to which "we're committed, and we try not to be far from the norms." Ukrainian plane's black box was downloaded in France in presence of the countries involved, said Baharvand, adding that the analysis was also done and transactions were made and brought to Iran by officials of Civil Aviation Organization (CAO). International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and representatives of countries which were present in the Paris meeting have confirmed the process of revision of the black box, the Iranian diplomat noted. Just little details have remained, and the final report on it will be released soon, the official said. He noted that ICAO and the Iranian nation will be informed of the report. The report will include advice for how to prevent from repetition of such incidents, the diplomat underlined. Baharvand said that the advice will help other nations not repeat such accidents in the future. Referring to remarks made by some countries that pressures have been put on Iran to give report on the crash, Baharvand said that speculation on such incidents is normal and routine. About his travel to Kiev, Ukraine, last week, the diplomat said the talks with Ukrainian officials were good and promising, but they were held with delay due to the coronavirus pandemic and some other legal questions. Good agreements were reached and misunderstandings were removed, he noted. About the future talks between Iran and Ukraine, the official said they will include three technical meetings. He added that one meeting will be held by Civil Aviation Organization of Iran, one by Iranian officials at the Judiciary and one by officials in charge of giving indemnity. When meetings between officials of those three organizations were held, a public meeting will convene as well, Baharvand stated. "We believe that the process of talks is on good way and the two will arrive at a conclusion without presence of an arbitration body," he noted. Asked whether Iran will negotiate separately with countries whose nationals were present in the Ukrainian plane, the diplomat said they have said they will reach agreement with Iran if Tehran does so with Kiev. Iran and Ukraine have agreed not to let any third country influence the issue, he said. "Talks with Ukrainians were transparent, honest and very forthright."