MONTREAL, Canada – A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO has accepted an invitation from the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to provide expert advice in support of the investigation of the aircraft accident involving Ukraine International Airlines flight PS-752.
Noting that all relevant States have been granted the right to participate in the investigation in compliance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation), ICAO has appointed senior and expert technical staff who will now serve as advisors and observers with respect to States’ interactions and interpretations relevant to Annex 13 investigation provisions.
The ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity, and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 193 Member States.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the country’s judiciary reportedly said, in a press conference, that the investigation will look into the causes and direct impact of the incident. Several people have been detained over the incident which, it says, was accidental. All 176 people on board were killed in the crash.
Iran has admitted that Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down by its armed forces hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile strike from home soil on US forces stationed in Iraq, in response to the US drone killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
However, few details of Iran’s investigation have been released by the authorities, but Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, said in a televised address that it will be overseen by several experts, and that the judiciary will create a special court.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president’s office said on Tuesday, that Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau “asked for Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s assistance in dialogue with the Iranian authorities as regards the identification of the bodies of the victims, including Canadian citizens.”
