The deputy director of the National Security Service, Tigran Harutyunyan, has said that concrete arrangements have been reached to ensure the return of a missing Armenian plane from Iran, Aysor.am reports.

The Boeing 737-300 leased by private carrier Fly Armenia Airways reportedly went missing on February 20 in circumstances that have yet to be fully explained. The air company said the plane underwent repairs in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and was due to fly to Ukraine for further maintenance, but ended up in Tehran "due to technical problems."

Harutyunyan said on Tuesday, March 16 that a criminal case into the "aircraft hijacking" incident has now been launched. According to him, the Armenian authorities are working to return the plane, citing some "technical issues" as a reason behind the delay.

The story about the aircraft finding its way to Iran raised some eyebrows, given the international sanctions against Iran. The Foreign Ministry said, however, that the Armenian side has not received a note of protest from the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.