Venezuela has closed its airspace to any aircraft coming from or going to Argentina as a reprisal for the seizure of a cargo plane which was ultimately delivered to US authorities.
In a statement posted on the X social network, Foreign Minister Yván Gil said that his nation would continue to block its airspace until Caracas had been duly compensated for the “theft” of a Venezuelan plane that was seized in 2022 in Buenos Aires and handed over to US authorities last month.
“Venezuela exerts full sovereignty of its airspace, and repeats that no aircraft, coming from or going to Argentina, may fly over our territory, until our company is duly compensated for the damage caused,” posted Gil on X.
The foreign minister’s declaration comes less than a month after the United States completed the seizure of a Boeing 747 cargo plane owned by Emtrasur, a subsidiary of Venezuelan state carrier Conviasa.
The plane was sold to the Venezuelan firm by Iran's Mahan Air in October 2021 which the US said contravened its sanctions against both countries.
The aircraft had been held in Argentina since landing there in 2022 from Mexico carrying a shipment of auto parts.
Caracas and Tehran protested US attempts to seize the plane, but Argentine federal judge Federico Villena ordered it to be surrendered to the United States.
The seizure was finally completed last month. Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro subsequently denounced the “theft” of the aircraft and its reported trashing days later.
Argentina said Tuesday it had filed a diplomatic complaint with Venezuela in the wake of the ban.
“The Argentine Republic has started diplomatic proceedings against the Venezuelan Government, headed by dictator Maduro, after its decision to prevent the use of airspace in that country by any Argentine aircraft,” stated Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni, without providing further details.
“Argentina won’t be extorted by friends of terrorism,” he added.
Relations between Venezuela and Argentina nosedived since President Javier Milei’s arrival to power. Maduro often trades insults with the libertarian leader..
“Argentina’s neo-Nazi government is not only submissive and obedient to its imperial master,” responded Gil on Tuesday.
“Mr Manuel Adorni intends to disregard the consequences of the piracy and theft against Venezuela,” said the minister, who said Buenos Aires had repeatedly been “warned” about consequences from “the crime committed against Emtrasur.”
– TIMES/AFP
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