The first round of talks has concluded in Kyiv between government representatives of Ukraine and Iran over compensation for the downing of flight PS752. The Boeing 737 was brought down by an Iranian missile on January 8th and intense controversy has surrounded the incident ever since – not just because of the act itself, but because of Iran’s handling of the crisis.
Ukraine: ‘constructive’ talks
According to Al Jazeera, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba labeled the talks, which took place this past week, “constructive.” However, he also said that it was still too early to disclose an amount for which the Iranian Government would pay.
Kuleba went on to say on Friday that the Iranian delegation has agreed to the terms of the next round of talks. According to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, these are set to take place in October.
“Of course, if the negotiations with Iran are unsuccessful, then we will go to international courts and I have absolutely no doubt that we will bring Iran to justice. But this is plan B,” -Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian Foreign Minister via Al Jazeera
Iran: prepared to pay damages ‘in principle’
On the Iranian side, foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi, reportedly stated to Iranian state news that Iran was prepared to pay damages to Ukraine “in principle,” saying that his Government has agreed to compensation, “but the matter is very time-intensive,” citing various technical and legal matters that still need to be worked through.
What happened to PS752?
For those unaware of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752, the Boeing 737 was shot down by the Iranian air force shortly after the takeoff on January 8th. Sadly, all 176 people on board were killed.
Initially, the Iranian Government said the crash was due to a technical problem but later admitted to an unintentional shooting.
A civil aviation report released earlier in July noted that the Iranian military was on high alert due to a recent exchange of events with US forces. The American military had killed a high-ranking Iranian General on January 3rd. In retaliation, Iran launched a ballistic-missile attack targeting US soldiers in Iraq. It was in this atmosphere of increased tensions that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired upon PS752, misidentifying it as a hostile military aircraft.
The report went on to say that those operating the missile battery also could not communicate with their command center and did not obtain approval from ranking officials to open fire.
Simple Flying reached out to Ukraine International Airlines requesting comment. However, at the time of publication, no response was received. This article will be updated if any new information is available.
