MOSCOW, 26 May (BelTA) – The investigation of the situation with the Ryanair flight, which all the international rules require, has been replaced with political statements of the West, BelTA learned from Spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova.
The official stated that any aviation incident is subject to a special investigation. Aviation incidents happen virtually every day. “Some are covered by mass media and some require special investigations,” she said. “Why does this case have to be an exception? Are there reasons to look into this incident only from the point of view of politics instead of from the point of view of investigation in the context of aviation safety and flight safety? Who decided to replace the investigation based on existing laws and rules with purely political statements, with the dreadful chorus we hear now?”
According to Maria Zakharova, the initial statement of the air carrier Ryanair about the incident was made from one angle, so to say, but later on the statement was changed under the pressure of political statements of heads of state and associations of the European Union and NATO.
The official went on saying: “I would like to point out what mass media of the countries, which leaders made the statements, failed to notice as if instructed. Minsk stated its readiness to investigate the incident, full transparency, and the willingness to welcome international experts in Belarus. What could be more logical and legal than starting such an investigation with the actions Minsk has suggested?”
“This is why I emphasize one more time: we support an investigation based on facts, an investigation that takes as much time as necessary, an investigation by experts,” the spokeswoman said. Maria Zakharova added that the investigation has to proceed taking into account the facts that had already been presented.
