Ukrainian President ‘grateful’ to Georgian PM for support, condolences
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Kyiv in December, 2019. Photo: Government of Georgia press office
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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.
Ukraine and Georgia have always been side-by-side in the difficult moments of history. Grateful to @GakhariaGiorgi for the support and condolences.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 10, 2020
PM Gakharia sent his sincere condolences to the families of those killed in the crash on January 8.
My heartfelt condolences to the families of tragically deceased aboard of the Ukrainian Airliner in Tehran.
— Giorgi Gakharia (@GakhariaGiorgi) January 8, 2020
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has also sent a letter of condolence to her Ukrainian counterpart, expressing deep regret over the tragedy.
Today we are mourning those deceased during the plane crash together. I and the Georgian people fully share in this pain”, she wrote in her letter.
People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport. Photo: Rouhollah Vandati/AFP/ISNA
Meanwhile, local media reported that Iran unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian plane that crashed near Tehran.
President of Iran Hassan Rouhani called the tragic accident "disastrous mistake".
The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 11, 2020
My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families. I offer my sincerest condolences. https://t.co/4dkePxupzm
Ukraine, therefore, insists on a full admission of guilt.
We expect Iran to bring those responsible to justice, return the bodies, pay compensation and issue an official apology", President Zelensky tweeted.
He stated as well that Ukraine is expecting an open investigation without delays or obstacles.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg considers Georgia and Ukraine “two close partners” of the alliance in the Black Sea region. Stoltenberg made the remarks at a news briefing with Prime Minister of Romania Ludovic Orban on January 9.
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.
Many international airlines have started using Georgian airspace instead of Iran due to heightened tension in the Middle East, reports Flightradar24.
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 President Salome Zurabishvili wrote that it is an “unspeakable tragedy.” The plane of the Ukraine International Airlines is reported to crash shortly after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran.
The Georgian president, prime minister and foreign minister have extended their condolences following an earthquake in Croatia earlier today.