Venezuela complains to international aviation about Trump’s announcement of the closure of its airspace
Venezuela has filed a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the closure of its airspace, calling it a violation of sovereignty.
Venezuelan Transport Minister Ramón Velázquez Araguay said in a statement on Sunday that his country had filed a written complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization.
He added that Trump’s move was of the nature of illegal foreign interference and constituted a violation of sovereignty and the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Convention.
The United States, while having no authority to issue such a declaration, is providing misinformation that would jeopardize the safety of civil aviation.
Venezuelan press reports said President Nicolás Maduro’s government had sent a letter to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), noting that US military moves in the Caribbean pose significant risks that could threaten the balance of energy markets.
The letter stressed that Venezuela will resolutely defend its natural energy resources and won’t submit to any threat or pressure.
On Saturday, Trump said on Truth Social that “all airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers should consider the airspace of Venezuela and its surroundings to be completely closed”.
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro instructed the air force to be on standby in anticipation of a possible attack from the United States.
Tensions have recently escalated between the United States and Venezuela, with US President Donald Trump issuing an executive order last August to increase the use of the military in the name of fighting drug cartels in Latin America.
In this context, Washington announced the dispatch of warships and submarines off the coast of Venezuela, while the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the army is ready for operations, including regime change in Venezuela.
In response, Maduro announced the mobilization of forces of 4.5 million people in the country and readiness to repel any possible attack.
The US military’s attacks on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, allegedly smuggling drugs and directly targeting people on board, have sparked a debate about extrajudicial killings in the international community.
