Canberra – Australia and the Netherlands will not rest until justice is served for the families of those killed in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
The prime ministers of the two countries said.
Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, during his official two-day trip to Australia, discussed the MH17 disaster, among other things, with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday in Sydney.
The MH17 flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was targeted over eastern Ukraine by a surface to air missile that a Dutch led international team of investigators believes came from Russia.
All 298 people aboard, including 27 Australians and 193 Dutch nationals were killed.
The territory over which it was shot down was held by a pro-Russian separatist group.
Russia has denied involvement.
International arrest warrants have been issued for the four suspects, three Russians and a Ukrainian, who have been charged for murder.
“There is no guarantee at this moment that people can get jailed if that is the conclusion out of the court case,’’ Rutte told reporters alongside Morrison.
“But I can guarantee you one thing, that we will not rest before that court case is closed in a way in which we all feel a sense that justice has been done.’’
“That could take more years than we like.’’
Morrison said the two countries stood shoulder-to-shoulder and continue to pursue justice on this matter for as long as it takes.’’
“We won’t rest; That is the very least we owe to those who were murdered on that night and all of their families who have survived,’’ Morrison said.
The Dutch parliament separately demanded an examination into the role of Ukraine in the incident.
The Dutch government should determine why Kiev did not close the airspace in the east of the country to civilian planes, the House of Representatives unanimously decided on Tuesday evening