VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Transcript of the commission's meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. We have gathered to hold a meeting of the state commission to investigate the causes of the Polish plane crash in Smolensk on April 10.
We established a state commission to investigate all the circumstances of the crash on the day of the tragedy.
A number of ministries and departments are involved in this work. The CIS Interstate Aviation Committee is investigating the crash. Criminal proceedings have been instituted. The Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor General's Office is involved in this process. Foreign Ministry officials are working to secure the arrival of Polish citizens to identify the dead. The Ministry of Healthcare and many officials from the Emergencies Ministry and the Moscow City Government are taking part in these efforts.
Today, I signed an executive order on reimbursing Moscow and Smolensk for all expenses from the federal budget.
Our Polish friends from the relevant ministries and departments have actively joined these efforts. This is a big investigation, in which many employees from different institutions of both countries are taking part. It should be duly coordinated to make sure that the circumstances of this crash are investigated without any bias and so that the public of our two countries finds out the truth about what happened.
I have invited you here today to hear about any progress that has been made and what else must be done to avoid any problems in our cooperation, in particular, at the government level.
I would like to hear reports both by Russian and Polish experts. If our Polish friends have any difficulties in their work, please let me know and we will deal with any problems that may arise.
Everyone is busy working now, so our conversation will be brief, professional and to the point. Mr Ivanov, please take the floor.
Sergei Ivanov: Thank you. I'd like to report that on April 12 the technical commission that was established as part of the government commission continued active efforts on the site of the crash. It has compiled the sketch-map of the dispersed fragments of the plane, including its engines.
A special aircraft took detailed photos of the crash site and all areas adjacent to the airport. This has already been done. Now the commission continues working in all directions, including traffic control and engineering, technical and meteorological support of the flight. I'm being told that this work is carried out in close contact with the Polish colleagues.
A tentative analysis of the decoding of onboard recorders and the results of work on the site has shown that there was no explosion or fire on the plane. Let me emphasise that this is a tentative analysis.
The aircraft's engines were fully operational until the impact with the ground.
Now the experts are synchronizing the indications of both voice and telemeter recorders and identifying the sounds and noises in the cabin. This work requires time and will take until the end of the week. We should be very careful here, and not rush this.
I'd like to thank Polish specialists and interpreters for cooperation.
And one last point. An hour or an hour and a half ago I spoke with Alexander Bastrykin (head of the Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor-General's Office). He said that by agreement with the Polish side it will be possible to start bringing the aircraft's fragments on the site under surveillance tonight. Once this is done the investigators from both countries will continue working with fragments and engines but on this site. This will make it possible to further facilitate the work of investigators at the site of the crash. This takes care of my report, Mr Putin.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Ms Anodina from the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee (CIS IAC). Please, go ahead.
Tatyana Anodina: Mr Putin, members of the state commission, our Polish colleagues.
The technical commission of the CIS IAC, which has been registered by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as an independent regional international organisation, is investigating the circumstances of the crash of the Tu-154 aircraft of the Polish state aviation with the participation of representatives of the Defence Ministry and federal bodies, and in close cooperation with the authorised representatives and a big group of experts from Poland.
All required experts are taking part in the commission's work - pilots, technical experts and specialists on meteorological flight support from research institutes and industrial companies of both countries. A joint working group has been decoding and analysing all flight information since the recorders were opened. Polish experts are providing us with important assistance in identifying the voices of the crew members and decoding other data. We then register everything jointly.
The sides keep the recorders in safes sealed by both sides. The work is conducted in Russian and English. We have full understanding on a professional and on a linguistic level.
The commission will complete its work to determine the trajectory of the plane's flight before the crash on the site today and will start bringing fragments of the aircraft from the site of the crash to a site next to the airport, which is under special surveillance.
We are analyzing all flight and technical documents together with Polish specialists. A tentative examination and analysis of the plane's fragments and decoding of the in-flight data of the recorders has established that the engines were operational until the impact and that there was no fire or explosion on board the plane.
The decoding of the in-flight data of the recorders and its analysis show that there were no failures of on-board equipment. Nevertheless, as the international regulations require, the final conclusions will be made after thorough examination of all the fragments. As it has already been reported, specialists are decoding and analysing all in-flight data of the recorders.
One more additional flight data recorder was found yesterday. The commission decided to meet the Polish side's request on its decoding with the participation of our experts in Poland. An air-check of the airfield's radio-technical facilities is scheduled for April 16.
I would like to emphasise once again that the investigation is being carried out in line with international procedures and regulations set by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), which encompasses 190 states, including Russia and Poland.
Investigators from the European Union and other countries have expressed their willingness to participate in the work of the Technical Commission, should this be deemed necessary. However, these investigators have said that they do not doubt the impartiality and professionalism of either the Commission or Russian experts. IAC (Interstate Aviation Committee) specialists have extensive experience with international investigations, having conducted such investigations in 53 countries, none of which have thus far been contested.
In closing, I'd like to thank you, Mr Prime Minister, and your government, including the ministers present here today, for setting up all the conditions necessary to facilitate the work of the Commission.
Thank you for your attention.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you. I'd like Mr Edmund Klich, head of the State Commission for Aviation Accident Investigation under the Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland, to give his comments. Please.
Edmund Klich (as translated from Polish): Good afternoon, Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
First of all I'd like to thank our Russian partners for their excellent, professional work, and the excellent, professional approach of all the experts.
We believe that the investigation is going as quickly as possible and will be further accelerated as soon as the flight data recorders are decoded. All information will certainly be documented.
I also believe that since the investigation is being carried out in line with international rules, including the provisions of the Chicago Conference, it will be carried out quickly and the causes of the accident will be found.
We appreciate the assistance our Russian partners have provided. Poland also has many of highly skilled experts, and we are working closely with the Russians on this issue.
I am confident that the investigation will be finished as soon as possible while observing established regulations.
Let's hope that this sort of tragedy will never happen again. Thank you, Mr Prime Minister.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much, Mr Klich. Minister of Healthcare Golikova, you have the floor.
Tatyana Golikova: Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
We have been working closely with Polish specialists since the day of the accident. Russian officials from the Ministry of Healthcare, forensic experts, pathologists and psychologists are all involved in this work. The remains of those killed in the accident have been brought to the Central Forensic Office in Moscow for examination, with the exception of the remains of the Polish President.
The relatives of the victims arrived in two groups in Moscow; 74 returned to Poland after the identification procedure yesterday.
The identification procedure is very difficult, primarily because of the obvious psychological problems. Many of those who came for identification yesterday expressed their desire to return for additional identification today.
All relatives have been invited to provide genetic evidence. Moreover, we've received genetic evidence from Poland.
A total of 48 victims of the tragedy have been identified so far, and death certificates have been issued appropriately. The remains of the late first lady were returned to Poland today.
We will coordinate the schedule for repatriating remains to Poland with our Polish partners. The remains will be repatriated as soon as the families are ready to accept them.
We will continue to cooperate with our Polish partners to coordinate all issues, but we have informed them that genetic analysis could take until Wednesday of next week. Of course, we will make every effort to finish the tests as soon as possible. In all cases, we will consider the wishes of the family members expressed during the identification process.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. Ms Ewa Kopacz, Polish Minister of Healthcare, you have the floor.
Ewa Kopacz: Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I'd like to sincerely thank my counterpart, Tatyana Golikova, the Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation.
It's been three days since the tragedy. As of late last night, 48 bodies had been identified.
We all understand what the remains of the victims of such a disaster look like. Identifying and confirming the dead is very difficult. These results are due to the efforts of both Polish and Russian pathologists. We have been working as one big team. To be honest, this is the first time I have seen such good or even exemplary cooperation; these specialists complement each other perfectly.
I'd also like to express my gratitude to the Minister of Healthcare for her efforts and involvement in this work on behalf of the relatives of the victims of the tragedy who have already left for Poland. Also, I'd like to share their request that we speed up the work of the forensic experts. When reporting to the people of Poland, we'd like to say with a clear conscience that we've done our best to identify all the bodies.
As the Minister of Healthcare said, tomorrow the bodies will start to be repatriated to Poland. Last night another group of Polish specialists arrived in Russia, and they have already begun working. We've also brought coffins for the bodies that have been identified.
I'd like to sincerely thank everyone once again.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much, Madam Minister. Mr Bastrykin from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, you're welcome to speak.
Alexander Bastrykin: Sixty forensic investigators from our committee continue to work at the site of the accident. They have uncovered new data, and previously unidentified bodies have been found, over 20 in total.
Also, seven guns were found. We've finished inspecting the remains of the plane and are starting a detailed investigation of the scene of the accident.
The investigation may take another three or four days, since some of the material evidence and body fragments are deep in the ground.
Some items, valuables and documents have already been examined and returned to our Polish partners. All other relevant procedures are also carried out. I'd like to emphasise that we're cooperating with Polish military investigators closely. Next to me is the Chief Polish Military Prosecutor, Krzysztof Parulski.
Yesterday I spoke with the Polish Prosecutor General to coordinate our joint actions to finish the investigation shortly. There have been no problems with coordination between us.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
Alexander Bastrykin: In closing, I'd like to thank the Ministry of Emergencies and the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation for assistance.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Parulski, Chief Military Prosecutor of Poland, please.
Krzysztof Parulski: Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
After the meeting between the prime ministers of Russia and Poland on Saturday, Prosecutor Bastrykin confirmed that we would do everything in our power to discover what caused the accident, which we will only be able to do by working as a team.
The Office of the Military Prosecutor of Poland is conducting its own investigation, but we have agreed to cooperate with our Russian partners in this. Polish prosecutors are members of four related commissions, providing their assistance in identifying bodies and decoding flight data recorders. One of these commissions is working at the military garrison in Warsaw, to which the Tupolev Tu-154 plane was attached. Mr Bastrykin and I agreed to share information on the progress of the investigation. Polish prosecutors will provide their assistance when needed.
Mr Prime Minister, I'd like to express my opinion and the opinion of my colleagues: We are impressed by the high level of organisation, the high level of professional expertise, as well as the professionalism of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, which is leading this investigation, and of the services connected with them. We understand very well that our Russian partners gained this experience by investigating past accidents.
I'd also like to thank the city of Smolensk for their involvement and compassion for the bereaved people of Poland. Locals bring flowers to the site of the tragedy and express their condolences.
Mr Prime Minister, you asked whether we're having any difficulties conducting the investigation. I can report that we're having no difficulties. Our cooperation goes beyond the principles of the Mutual Legal Assistance Convention. Our Russian partners help us a great deal.
I'd like to thank you for the warm welcome and for your assistance with the investigation. I am confident that we would never be able to find the causes of the accident without such close cooperation. Thank you very much.
