Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced that Canada, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Ukraine are demanding that Iran pay them compensation for a Ukrainian passenger Boeing 737 jet shot down by Iranian missiles.
According to the minister, Iran must fully admit the responsibility for the downed aircraft and fulfill its obligations to the families of the victims of the tragedy. Countries expect compensation to be paid on time and in accordance with international law.
In addition, Champagne called for a full and independent investigation into the incident.
Canada, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Ukraine have also created a special group that will inform the relatives of the victims about the progress of the investigation and engage in providing the assistance they might need.
Ukraine International Airlines‘ Boeing 737 passenger was shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft missiles and crashed on January 8 in Tehran. As a result, 176 people were killed – 167 passengers and nine crew members. After denying any involvement in the crash and claiming that the aircraft was brought down by some mechanical problem, Iran eventually was cornered by indisputable evidence and forced to admit responsibility for what happened: the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces claimed that they “mistakenly” shot down a Ukrainian plane, as they “mistook” it for a cruise missile.
