– Europe Press/Contact/Sebastian Barros – Archive
Madrid, November 30 (European Press) –
Colombian President Gustavo Petro requested, on Sunday, an “immediate” convening of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly in response to the announcement of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, regarding the closure of Venezuelan airspace.
Petro stated in a message published on his account on
The Colombian president stressed that Trump’s order only applies to American airlines. “All other companies in the world must make their decision in accordance with the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (…). No airline should accept illegal orders over the airspace of any country,” he said.
Furthermore, Petro noted that “there is no authorization from the UN Security Council for military actions against our neighbor” and that “the US Senate has not given authorization for armed intervention.”
Given this situation, Petro believes that fines should be imposed on companies that do not comply with promised services, and specifically urged the EU to “order the normalization of flights to Venezuela or impose fines on companies that do not do so.”
“In Colombia, sanctions should be imposed on companies that refuse to provide the services they have committed to and only follow the instructions of the International Civil Aviation Organization or the Colombian government,” he noted. He stressed that “humanity must be free to fly and the skies must be open everywhere in the world.”
Trump announced on Saturday that the airspace “over and around” Venezuela had been completely “closed” in another step toward a possible ground invasion of the country in the same week that the North American president clearly spoke of his intention to enter Venezuelan territory to begin arresting drug traffickers, especially considering the buildup of his military personnel around the region.
The US President announced on his platform, “Truth Social,” “To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human traffickers: We ask you to take into account that the airspace over Venezuela and its surrounding areas will remain completely closed.”