ANWAR RAISES MH17 ISSUE WITH PUTIN DURING MOSCOW VISIT

From Sharifah Hunaini Syed Ismail

MOSCOW, May 14 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim raised the issue of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine in 2014, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin today.

According to Anwar, the matter was brought up during his bilateral discussions with the Russian President at the Kremlin, here, to represent the families of the victims affected by the tragedy.

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"For sure, as a representative of the Malaysian people, particularly the families of the victims, I took the opportunity to raise the issue with President Vladimir Putin during our bilateral discussions," he told Malaysian media covering his official visit to Russia tonight.

Anwar was asked to comment on the recent developments concerning the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) findings, which concluded that Russia was responsible for the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

According to the ICAO report, the aircraft was en route from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a Russian missile while flying over eastern Ukraine, amid conflict between pro-Russian separatist groups and Ukrainian forces.

The Prime Minister said Putin listened carefully to the concerns raised and conveyed his sympathy and condolences to the victims' families.

"That, he (Putin) has never wavered from," said Anwar, adding that the Russian President had emphasised his call for a thorough, comprehensive, and non-politicised investigation.

Anwar, however, noted that he highlighted the latest report by ICAO, which concluded that Russia was responsible for shooting down the aircraft.

Putin reiterated that from the beginning, Moscow had requested an independent and detailed investigation, and that Russia was willing to fully cooperate to ensure the report’s credibility.

Anwar said he would inform the victims’ families about the feedback given by Putin.

"What I can confirm is that he said it is not true that he is not willing to cooperate. But he is unable to cooperate with any body that he considers, or Russia considers, as not independent," he said.

On Monday, ICAO, a United Nations aviation council, concluded that Russia was responsible for the incident in which the Malaysian aircraft was shot down over Ukrainian airspace, killing all 298 passengers and crew members on board.

The report stated that ICAO would consider appropriate forms of compensation in the coming weeks.

In November 2022, a Dutch court convicted two Russian nationals and a Ukrainian national in absentia for their roles in the attack.

Anwar arrived in Moscow on May 13 for a four-day official visit. He is scheduled to proceed to the second leg of his visit in Kazan, Tatarstan, on May 15.

The official visit is at the invitation of Putin.

Both leaders held a closed-door meeting before Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, attended a luncheon and held a meeting with delegations from both countries.

-- BERNAMA