Polish MoD sees de-escalation in Middle East

Iran's admission to shooting down a Ukrainian airliner over Tehran on Wednesday is an appropriate move which confirms that an agreement is being sought and de-escalation is visible, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Saturday.

The conflict is unlikely to end any time soon but "its de-escalation is clearly visible," Blaszczak told the private RMF FM radio broadcaster.

On Saturday morning, Iran admitted that its armed forces "unintentionally" shot down the Ukrainian plane due to "human error." All 176 people on board died in the crash.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said it was an "unforgivable mistake."

Blaszczak said the situation in Iraq is cooling down and NATO decided to restart its training mission in the country, in which Poland is also involved.

"We show solidarity in NATO as we count on support, should Poland ever come under attack," Blaszczak said.