The foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, whose countries comprise the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on the incident issued a Joint Ministerial Statement to mark the seventh anniversary of the tragedy.

The statement was made available to the media here today by the Malaysian foreign ministry.

“Our thoughts remain with those who perished on board, their families and loved ones. While nothing can bring back those who lost their lives, or diminish the anguish and grief suffered by the family members, it is imperative that we remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing truth, justice and accountability,” the foreign ministers said in the joint statement.

They acknowledged the cooperation of their respective investigative agencies and reiterated their full support towards the efforts to establish the truth of what happened on that fateful day.

The foreign ministers said they have full confidence in the independent, open and impartial criminal proceedings against the alleged perpetrators.

They also reiterated their deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was enroute to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when it went down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

It is believed that the Boeing 777 was hit by a surface-to-air missile supplied to pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.