OTTAWA, May 28. /TASS/. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will pursue a fact-finding investigation into the recent Ryanair flight incident in the Belarusian capital, the organization said in a statement following its special meeting.
"At a special meeting convened, the ICAO Governing Body underlined the importance of establishing the facts of what happened, and of understanding whether there had been any breach by any ICAO Member State of international aviation law, including the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and its Annexes," the statement reads.
ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano said, "The Council has therefore decided that all relevant facts should be officially established through an ICAO investigation conducted by the ICAO Secretariat."
Earlier on Thursday, Russian envoy to ICAO Sergei Gudkov told TASS that Moscow spoke in favor of a fair and transparent investigation into the Ryanair flight incident at the ICAO Council meeting. Moreover, the Irish Transport Ministry announced on Thursday that the organization will conduct such a probe and reveal its first results by June 25.
On May 23, a Vilnius-bound Ryanair plane that took off from Athens made an emergency landing at Minsk International Airport after a reported bomb threat. After the landing, the plane was inspected and no bomb was found inside. The Belarusian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into a false bomb alert. Roman Protasevich, one of the co-founders of the Nexta Telegram channel, which Minsk recognizes as extremist, was among the passengers on the flight. Protasevich was detained by law enforcement officials once the plane had landed in the Belarusian capital. On Sunday evening, the plane left Minsk airport and continued to Vilnius.