The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, welcomes the investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization Council and its decision on Russia being responsible for the downing of Flight MH17 in 2014. The decision is an important step towards achieving justice and accountability for the 298 lives lost and violations of international law.
Australia and the Netherlands brought claims before ICAO over Russia failing to uphold its obligations under international air law.
As underlined by the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, Caspar Veldkamp, in the coming weeks, the ICAO Council will consider what form of reparation should be applied.
We believe that Russia must assume responsibility for the crime it has committed. Therefore, it is highly important that work on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine be finalised. Upon the establishment of the Special Tribunal, it will be possible, for the first time since the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, to bring to justice Russia’s senior officials for the crime of aggression.