MH17

THE HAGUE — The Netherlands and Australia have called on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to urge Russia to enter negotiations over the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, TASS news agency reported.

“The Netherlands and Australia request the ICAO Council to impose on the Russian Federation to enter into negotiations with the Netherlands and Australia on this matter and to supervise this process,” the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the Dutch government, the ICAO Council ruled earlier on Sunday that Russia was responsible for the downing of flight MH17 and had thereby violated the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp welcomed the decision, stressing that the ICAO Council must now examine the possibility of compensation.

Russian news agency TASS said it had sent an official inquiry to ICAO for comment on the ruling, but no response had been received at the time of reporting.

In June 2024, Russia withdrew from ICAO proceedings involving the dispute with Australia and the Netherlands, arguing that the council lacked jurisdiction over what it called “fabricated allegations.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated that it did not recognise ICAO’s authority on the matter or any subsequent decisions.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine’s Donetsk region on 17 July 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

The victims were citizens of ten different countries.

A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine was established to carry out a criminal probe.

Russian authorities have consistently challenged the JIT’s findings, citing what they describe as a lack of credible evidence and a refusal to consider Russia’s own investigation.

ICAO, a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN), has 193 member states.

The vote on the MH17 ruling was held behind closed doors and the full results have not been disclosed. — BERNAMA-TASS

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