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Black boxes from downed Ukrainian flight to be transferred to Kyiv

Mar 11, 2020 | 2:42 PM

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is welcoming a promise from Iran to hand over the flight recorders from the Ukrainian jetliner shot down by the Iranian military early this year.

Champagne says the Iranian representative at an International Civil Aviation Organization meeting in Montreal this morning pledged that the “black boxes” will be transferred to Ukraine or onto France as necessary.

Champagne says while he’s pleased by the development, Iran will be judged by its actions and the Canadian government will follow up to make sure the handover actually happens.

Iran’s military fired two missiles at Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in early January, killing all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadians.

Governments from five countries who lost citizens in the crash have been working together since to pressure Iran for a transparent investigation.

The recorders could provide crucial information about the flight’s final minutes, and Champagne says Canada wants to have its own experts involved in the analysis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2020.

The Canadian Press