Bulgaria calls for immediate, objective and independent international investigation into the causes of the Malaysian Airlines crash
21 July 2014 News
Statement of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria calls for immediate, objective and independent international investigation into the causes of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crash on 17 July 2014, which killed hundreds of innocent people. We demand granting immediate and safe access to international teams, including observers from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to the crash site.
The investigation must determine the cause of the tragedy and bring those responsible for it to justice. We expect that the difficult task of clarifying the circumstances surrounding the incident will meet the support of all parties. We welcome the swift measures by the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the incident, including the opening of a hotline, fast issuing of visas for the relatives of the victims and we support the efforts of the international community to deal with the consequences of the plane crash. We expect that tomorrow’s talks at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels will result in issuing a common position and recommendations on the issue.
The fact that the tragedy happened in the sky over a volatile region reaffirms the need as quickly as possible to reach a ceasefire agreement and prevent further escalation of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Bulgaria calls on all parties concerned to immediately proceed with the dialogue and the search of a peaceful solution to the crisis and expresses support for the efforts of the Contact Group to create conditions to end the bloodshed in Eastern Ukraine.
Once again,we express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and relatives of the victims and solidarity with their pain.