MINSK, May 28. /TASS/. After last Sunday's incident with a passenger plane of the Irish air carrier Ryanair Belarus has urged all countries to avoid jumping at hasty conclusions before the probe is over, the aviation department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications said on Friday following the department chief Artyom Sikorsky's participation in Thursday's meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization on the issue.
"The director of the aviation department, Artyom Sikorsky, made a report on behalf of Belarus. He suggested conducting a fact-finding investigation in accordance with the Chicago Convention and refraining from any judgements before the probe is over," the news agency BelTA quotes the aviation department as saying.
The aviation department recalled that all ICAO Council member-countries agreed it was necessary to carry out such an investigation to find out what really happened in accordance with the Chicago Convention.
On May 23, a Vilnius-bound passenger plane that left Greece belonging to Ryanair airlines, made an emergency landing at Minsk International Airport following a reported threat that there was an explosive device on board. A MiG-29 fighter was scrambled to escort the airliner. After landing, specialists searched the plane but found no bomb. The Belarusian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over a false bomb threat message.
Minsk later said that among the plane's passengers was Roman Protasevich, a co-founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, outlawed in Belarus as extremist. He was detained by law enforcement agents. Following the incident, some countries began to suspend air links with Belarus or advised their airlines to steer clear of Belarusian airspace. The Belarusian authorities said they were ready to provide international experts with all materials of interest concerning the incident to ensure the maximum transparency of the inquiry.