PNN – The spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry dismissed claims regarding the detention of Iranian pilots, stating that contact had been established with the pilots in question and that the body of one of them was recovered during the search operation.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; citing Al Jazeera, Majed Al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, categorically rejected claims about the detention of Iranian pilots. He expressed surprise at what he termed “misleading statements” regarding the pilots’ fate, noting that diplomatic efforts are still ongoing.
He announced that Qatar had attempted to contact the pilots in question after they violated the country’s airspace last March.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that after attempts to contact the Iranian pilots went unanswered, Qatar took the necessary measures to defend its territory.
He also stated that Qatari search and rescue teams recovered the body of one of the pilots during the search operation.
Al-Ansari claimed that Qatar had contacted the Iranian side to coordinate the handover of the pilot’s body.
He further claimed that the Iranian side had not responded to Qatar’s invitation to send a team to be briefed on the search operation conducted in April.