Russian Ambassador questions duration of MH17 investigation report

KUALA LUMPUR: Out-going Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Lyudmila G. Vorobyeva has questioned why the investigations into the MH17 tragedy is taking a long time.
The investigation team is expected to release the report of their investigation in 2016 but Vorobyeva claims there are still unanswered question from the incident which occured on July 17.
"There are many eye-witnesses who were not questioned (in the investigations), who stated they had clearly seen another aircraft in the vicinity of the MH17 aircraft," she claimed.
Vorobyeva added that it takes days, not months, to identify what weapon could have been used to down the commercial aircraft carrying 298 passengers and crew in Ukraine airspace.
She also said the Russian authorities have been open in their investigations, noting that the authorities have provided data and intelligence from its side within a week of the crash.
Vorobyeva was also puzzled as to why there has not been a reconstruction process on the MH17.
"For example, in 2001, the Ukrainian airforce downed a commercial Russian airplane by mistake during their military exercise.
"The investigation team managed to do the reconstruction within a few days, though the debris were located the Black Sea," she said.
Vorobyeva then questioned why, in the case of MH17, where the debris is on land, the same could not be done.
"If you do not have anything to hide, if you are willing to go on with this investigation, why does it take so long?
"I do not want to insinuate anything, I just want to know why it is taking so long," she told a press conference here at the Embassy of the Russian Federation here today.
Reporters at the event were also presented with a copy of the unofficial translation of the White book on Violations of Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Ukraine (July - November 2014), issued by the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Vorobyeva, whose term as ambassador ends in January 2015, said she was happy that Malaysia did not take sides with Western countries in blaming the Russian authorities over the incident.
"Despite the MH17 incident, Malaysia and Russia have good bilateral ties," she said.
She added that the relationship between leaders of both nations are cordial, while both countries have maintained good trade in the tourism sector.