The Closure:
Venezuelan authorities announced that the country would close its airspace to Argentina following the seizure of an aircraft belonging to the state-owned airline Conviasa in February due to an order from the United States.
Chancellor of the Republic, Yvan Gil, announced the barring of Argentine aircraft in a tweet on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, wherein he called the Argentine government “neo-Nazis” before claiming the nation is “submissive and obedient to its imperial master.”
El gobierno neonazi de Argentina, no solo es sumiso y obediente con su amo imperial, sino que tiene un vocero “cara de tabla”: El Sr. Manuel Adorni pretende desconocer las consecuencias de sus actos de piratería y robo contra Venezuela, las cuales fueron advertidas en reiteradas… https://t.co/VB5GoR4mgl
— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) March 12, 2024
Gil further demanded the reimbursement of Conviasa for the seizure of the Boeing 747, which is estimated to have cost 80 million dollars, claiming that the government would disallow any aircraft into or out of Argentina from entering Venezuelan airspace.
The plane was originally grounded in Argentina in 2022 for several months before it was transferred to Florida’s Dade-Collier Transition and Training Airport in 2024, where it was broken apart by US authorities in what Venezuelan officials claimed to be an “act of vandalism.”
In response to the closure of the airspace, Argentine Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni stated that the government would undertake “diplomatic measures” against the Venezuelan government.
The plane, which was purchased from Iran, had several tons of auto parts to resupply automotive factories within the country when it was denied landing to refuel in Uruguay. Following the denial, the plane was forced to return to Argentina, where it was promptly seized by authorities after the initial request by the US Justice Department.
The plane was ordered to be seized after US officials alleged the purchase of the aircraft was in violation of sanctions against both Venezuela and Iran.
Anaylsis:
The closure of airspace is yet another example of the deteriorating relations between Venezuela and Argentina following the election of President Javier Milei, who is known for his anti-communist sentiments.
Milei has made it known that he plans to cut ties with a multitude of countries that he has deemed “communist,” including nations such as Brazil, Nicaragua, China, and, of course, Venezuela.
Milei has made claims that a multitude of public figures and individuals are “communists,” including Pope Francis, an Argentine himself, whom he often criticized while campaigning for office. However, the animosity between the two seemed to dissipate following a visit by Milei to Pope Francis in February, where his Holiness canonized St. María Antonia de San José de Paz y Figueroa, the first Argentine Saint.
Relations between the two are expected to remain strained throughout the presidency of Milei, as he has shown his disdain for those he deems communists and communism itself, as well as his desire to close or limit relations to countries he deems to practice communism.
