MOSCOW, 2 November (BelTA) – Belarus and Ukraine may be invited to take part in the investigation of the Kogalymavia Airbus A321 crash in Egypt, Russian Minister of Transport Maksim Sokolov said as he reported to Russia President Vladimir Putin on 2 November, BelTA has learned.
Maksim Sokolov explained that in accordance with the international rules, the country where the catastrophe took place, i.e. Egypt, is in charge of the technical organization of the investigation. The operator of the aircraft (Russia), the country of registration (Ireland) and the manufacturer (France) take part in the investigation. Besides, the countries which citizens were on board (Belarus and Ukraine) can be involved in the investigation. Aviation authorities of the countries adjacent to Egypt (Israel, Turkey and Cyprus) can also provide assistance. “We will do our best to establish the cause of the catastrophe as soon as possible,” he said.
Vladimir Putin urged to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of the tragedy and to reveal all details. “You should do your best to get an objective picture of what had happened. We must know the causes to respond to this event in a proper way,” Vladimir Putin stressed.
The Russian President also noted that the place of the crash is in the zone of recurrent clashes between the Egyptian army and local terrorist groups.
The Kogalymavia Airbus A321 flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed in the deserted area about 100km south of the North Sinai town of El-Arish. All 217 passengers and seven crew members were killed. There were several citizens of Ukraine and one Belarusian on board the plane.
