Georgia ‘deeply saddened’ by Ukrainian passenger plane crash in Iran
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Georgia is ‘deeply saddened’ by the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 which killed more than 170 people earlier today in Iran.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has sent his 'sincere condolences to the families of those killed in the crash.'
My heartfelt condolences to the families of tragically deceased aboard of the Ukrainian Airliner in Tehran.
— Giorgi Gakharia (@GakhariaGiorgi) January 8, 2020
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has tweeted:
Deeply saddened by the news of the #Ukrainian plane crash in Iran claiming the lives of all on board. Our sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy @MFA_Ukraine
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) January 8, 2020
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili wrote that it is an “unspeakable disaster.”
No word can relate to the crash of the #PS752 Ukrainian International Airlines, an unspeakable disaster. I send my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) January 8, 2020
The aircraft is reported to have crashed shortly after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran.
All 176 board were killed.
Among the victims were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including all the crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Britons and three Germans, BBC cited Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko as saying.
The cause of the accident is yet to be identified, though Iran’s ISNA news agency preliminarily reports that the crash took place due to technical issues.
Georgia and Ukraine have agreed to make it possible for their citizens to travel between the two countries without a passport, only with a national ID card starting from March 1. 2019, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has met with Dmytro Razumkov, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada during his visit to Ukraine today.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have signed an agreement on the creation of a strategic council in Kyiv earlier today. The council will cover four fields: politics, trade and economy, defence and security and culture-humanitarian.The government of Georgia says that the agreement will further upgrade bilateral relations between the two countries.
Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova have signed an agreement to create a unified economic zone and reach a free trade agreement.
Georgia-Iran flights are continuing without cancellation nor changes to schedule, the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA) told Agenda.ge.
Many international airlines have started using Georgian airspace instead of Iran due to heightened tension in the Middle East, reports Flightradar24.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu has raised the issue of violation of international law regarding Ukraine and Georgia in his first statement as an elected member of the UN Security Council in New York.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has extended his gratitude to the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia for his support and condolences over the recent crash of a Ukrainian Boeing 737-800, which killed all 176 people on board in Iran.
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency urges Georgian air companies to avoid using Iraqi and Iranian airspace because of the high risks related to the current tension in the region, announced the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA) earlier today.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry has expressed its “tremendous sympathy and sadness” at the tragic earthquake in Turkey. No Georgians have been reported among the dead or injured, the ministry reported.
The Georgian president, prime minister and foreign minister have extended their condolences following an earthquake in Croatia earlier today.