MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - South Sudan has paid compensation to the Russian side for Nizhnevartovskavia's helicopter downed in 2012, seven years after the event, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"For technical reasons, the payment of the specified amount of compensation was delayed for several years. However, currently, we may say that this issue, which cast a shadow over the atmosphere of bilateral relations for a long time, was finally settled, as was announced by South Sudanese partners during contacts as part of the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi on October 23-24 and noted by the Russian side," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website.
"The resolution of this issue was made possible owing to the persistent efforts of Russian diplomats, in particular, employees of the Russian Embassy in Kampala representing the interests of our country in the Republic of South Sudan," it said.
On December 21, 2012, Nizhnevartovskavia's Mil Mi-8 helicopter was downed near the populated locality of Likuangole in the Jonglei State in the east of South Sudan. All five crew members, including four Russians, were killed. The helicopter had been working under a contract with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). It had the UN insignia and was making a planned UNMISS flight at the time.
The South Sudanese leadership admitted its guilt for the tragic incident and assumed the obligation to pay compensation to the airline and the immediate families of the crewmembers of the downed helicopter.