Expert: US sanctions against Armenia not ruled out due to Boeing 737-related issue

Panorama, Armenia
Feb 23 2021

Expert in international studies Suren Sargsyan says the U.S. may impose sanctions on Armenia after U.S.-made Boeing 737 aircraft, which was bound for Yerevan, ended up in Iran under yet unclear circumstances.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia said it has not received any confirmed information that the aircraft registered in Armenia “has been hijacked halfway”, as some reports suggest.

“The aircraft may have been hijacked but the committee is not aware of it,” Sargsyan wrote on Facebook, adding a probe into the circumstance of the incident is underway.

“Clear actions by the U.S. against Armenia, including sanctions, are not ruled out in the wake of the incident,” he said.

Sargsyan suggested returning the plane to Armenia and holding those responsible to account to avoid the possible negative consequences.

"In general, we should not interfere in confrontations of the superpowers at all and should maintain neutrality, especially when both are friendly states,” the expert said.