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Five countries call on Iran to provide explanation on downing Ukrainian plane
Ukraine, Afghanistan, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have called on Iran to urgently provide a full and comprehensive explanation on downing the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 near Tehran a year ago.
The five countries in a joint statement on Friday, marking the first anniversary of the “tragic downing" the Ukrainian jet, said that the plane was downed "by two Iranian military surface-to-air missiles near Tehran,” the statement said.
اعلامیهٔ پنج کشور گروه بینالمللی هماهنگی و پاسخدهی به قربانیان پرواز PS752 در پیوند به نخستین سالگشت سقوط فاجعهبار پرواز PS752 👇 pic.twitter.com/PyxGcZHIJF
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Afghanistan 🇦🇫 (@mfa_afghanistan) January 8, 2021
“We urgently call on Iran to provide a complete and thorough explanation of the events and decisions that led to this appalling plane crash, including concrete measures to ensure that it will never happen again,” the statement read.
“Our countries will hold Iran to account to deliver justice and make sure Iran makes full reparations to the families of the victims and affected countries,” the statement noted.
“Today we honor the memory of those who perished and offer our sincere condolences to all who mourn the victims of the PS752 tragedy. We share the grief of the families, relatives, and friends who lost loved ones.”
On January 8, an Iranian air defense unit mistakenly shot down Flight 752 of the Ukrainian International Airlines shortly after take-off from Tehran en route to Kyiv.
179 passengers and nine crew members were killed in the downing. The victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Iranian-Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, 10 Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.
The operator had mistaken the Boeing 737-800 with a cruise missile at a time when the air defense systems were at the highest level of alert following the United States’ earlier killing of prominent Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
This comes as late December, the Legal Department of the Office of Iran’s President’s Office announced that the country will pay $150,000 to each of the bereaved families of the victims of the Ukrainian plane.
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Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community: UN envoy
Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.
Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community, Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, said at the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.
Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.
“A number of positive steps have been taken in the fields of economy, infrastructure, and foreign relations to seize this opportunity and begin to address the many negative legacies of war,” she said. “I have growing concerns, however, that this opportunity is being missed. The Afghan population faces a serious humanitarian and development crisis as international funding drops.”
The envoy, however, noted that the adoption of the moral oversight law shortly after the Doha meeting has undermined this process.
“We are at the same time trying to address the political legacy of Afghanistan’s long conflict. In the current situation, Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community. Individual Taliban (IEA), many of whom are de facto ministers, are under sanctions and cannot travel without permission from this Council. Afghanistan’s Central Bank assets are frozen, limiting the development potential of the private sector,” she said.
At the meeting, US and UK representatives also called on the IEA to reverse restrictions on women and girls.
“The Taliban (IEA) cannot expect the international community to move forward on the UN process without first meeting their international obligations on the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, political inclusion, and counter terrorism.” said Jess Jambert-Gray, Deputy Political Coordinator of UK at UN.
Chinese and Russian envoys expressed over security risks from Afghanistan.
“Terrorist forces such as Da’esh, Al-Qaida, and ETIM are still active in Afghanistan, posing a threat to Afghanistan and international and regional security. We call on the interim government of Afghanistan to take vigorous actions to resolutely combat the various terrorist forces in its territory, and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming an enclave for terrorist organizations.” Said Fu Cong, Chinese envoy to UN.
Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said: “The Russian Federation has consistently advocated for a realistic and comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which should be based on objective analysis and a balanced assessment of the situation. It is imperative to have constructive cooperation within the international community on the Afghan issue. First and foremost, it means paying due regard for the needs of the Afghans themselves and rejecting one’s own narrow interests, as well as maintaining patient dialogue with the de facto Afghan authorities on a wide range of pressing problems, without blackmail or pressure.”
Pakistan’s envoy Munir Akram termed the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan.
He said that TTP is conducting almost daily terrorist attacks against Pakistan with full support and protection of the Islamic Emirate and sponsorship of Pakistan’s major adversary.
The Islamic Emirate, however, denies all these allegations and human rights violations and says that if anyone has evidence about the presence of terrorists, they can provide them.
"We have six neighbors, No neighboring country has complained. There is only one country that sometimes makes allegations. Unfortunately, instead of getting information and stating the facts, the Secretary General of the United Nations made an accusation that did not suit him,” said Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
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IEA appoints ambassador to Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced the appointment of Abdul Ghafar Bahr as the new ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Uzbekistan.
Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced Bahr’s appointment on his X account.
Bahr was present at the recent farewell meeting of Khawaja Shadmanov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kabul, with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.
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Muttaqi invited to upcoming Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan
The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.
Russian ambassador in Kabul Dmirtry Zhirnov, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday, invited him to participate in the next meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Zhirnov emphasized that Russia places great importance on its relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and, therefore, seeks to ensure the participation of Afghan delegations in all forums hosted by Russia, whether regional or international, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Expressing gratitude for the invitation, FM Muttaqi noted that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, viewing the Moscow Format as a constructive and beneficial initiative, has actively participated in previous meetings since its inception.
Muttaqi further called the upcoming meeting as a valuable opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with senior Russian officials and representatives from regional countries on matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.
The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.
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