MOSCOW, October 13 /TASS/. Kiev is responsible for not closing its airspace to civil aircraft. This fact is indisputable, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.
She said Russia had demanded an objective, all-embracing and transparent investigation into the Boeing crash straight from start.
"We sought to ensure out constructive participation in a group of experts and make maximum contribution to its work. Naturally, we hoped that our experts would in turn gain access to all the information obtained by the group. Russia was among those who initiated the adoption of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2166, which contains requirements for the investigation," Zakharova went on to say.
"Unfortunately, Russia’s proposal to use the UN Security Council mechanisms to organize a transparent investigation was ignored just as its calls to adhere to the above-mentioned resolution. The United Nations secretary-general did not present comprehensive proposals on measures to assist the investigation to the UN Security Council. Our questions concerning the investigation that we spread at the UN Security Council in September 2014 also hang in the air," the Russian diplomat said.
According to her, Russian experts did not gain access to all investigation materials while the Dutch partners have ignored the findings made by Almaz-Antey, the main manufacturer of the BUK missile systems.
"Therefore, we have serious doubts whether the true purpose of the Dutch investigation is to establish the true causes of the air crash or justify the previously made accusations," Zakharova stressed.
Ukraine has failed to present to the international community the recording of a conversation of military air traffic controllers as well as information on the activities of Ukraine’s air defense forces in the crash region.
"We also called attention to the strange fact that a year after the investigation had begun, fresh information appeared that new fragments of a missile, which allegedly destroyed the plane, had been found. A new team of Dutch experts was sent to the crash site to collect the fragments, which were still lying on the ground, despite previous reports that practically all the plane fragments had been gathered," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said adding that the way in which the investigation had been carried out could not but affect its final results.
"Further investigation could show a way out of this situation. The investigation should be duly adjusted and should involve countries that possess materials capable of shedding the light on the MH17 crash. We are certainly ready for this work," Zakharova stressed.
Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777, which was making an MH17 flight from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), crashed in the east of Ukraine’s Donetsk region on July 17, 2014 killing 283 passengers onboard and 15 crew members. Investigators believe the plane was gunned down by a "surface-to-air" or "air-to-air" missile.