The tension between Argentina and Venezuela is increasing and sparks have already flown between the two countries. The Government of Javier Milei announced “diplomatic actions” against that of Nicolás Maduro after he closed Venezuelan airspace to Argentine planes that want to fly over his territory. Venezuela’s decision was known after Argentina delivered to the United States a Boeing 747-300 confiscated in the southern country for almost two years. The crew traveling on the aircraft, which belonged to a Venezuelan company sanctioned by the United States, was detained in Argentina in 2022 and investigated by alleged links with Iran, but was finally released.
The conflict between both countries began almost two years ago, when the Boeing 747-300 landed in Argentina after making a stopover in Venezuela. The plane, which was transporting auto parts from Mexico, was immobilized in Buenos Aires by decision of the Argentine justice system, which ordered that the 19 occupants of the aircraft—Venezuelan and Iranian citizens—not leave the country while they were investigated. The aircraft had been owned by the Iranian company Mahan Air and at the time it was seized, June 2022, it belonged to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan airline Conviasa, companies sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for allegedly providing services of logistics to terrorist groups.
The transfer between two companies sanctioned by the United States raised suspicion in Washington, which said the companies had violated a US Department of Commerce rule in the sale of the aircraft. Argentina accepted a confiscation order issued by US authorities and the plane was immobilized, even though all its crew members were released after an Argentine federal judge considered that he did not have sufficient evidence to charge them. Maduro took aim harshly at the then Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, whom he saw as an ally.
After being detained for almost two years, the plane was transferred from Buenos Aires to the United States in February “under commitments derived from a judicial cooperation agreement with a foreign State,” according to government sources. Before the plane left for the north, a Venezuelan diplomat in Buenos Aires raised tension by violating the security of the Ezeiza international airport (Buenos Aires) to take photos of the Boeing 747-300. The official was declared a person not grateful and left the country 48 hours later, according to the Efe agency.
“Milei’s bandit stole the plane from Venezuela,” said Maduro after the delivery of the device to the United States. The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, said that Argentina had committed “acts of piracy and theft” against his country and communicated on the social network and reiterates that no aircraft coming from or heading to Argentina will be able to fly over our territory until our company is duly compensated for the damages caused, after the illegal actions carried out, only in order to please its guardians in the north.”
The neo-Nazi government of Argentina is not only submissive and obedient to its imperial master, but it has a “board-faced” spokesperson: Mr. Manuel Adorni pretends to ignore the consequences of his acts of piracy and theft against Venezuela, which were warned repeatedly… https://t.co/VB5GoR4mgl
— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) March 12, 2024
After hearing the news, the Argentine Government reported on Tuesday that it had initiated “diplomatic actions” against Venezuela without giving more details. The authorities have not publicly explained what these actions are, but Foreign Ministry sources affirm that Argentina sent a note of protest to Venezuela on March 8 “due to the decision to suspend overflight permits for Argentine airline companies in Venezuelan airspace.” “Argentina is not going to allow itself to be extorted by the friends of terrorism,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni simply said on Tuesday.
The presidential spokesperson has not specified more in his daily Government conferences. To the grievances of the Maduro Executive, who called Milei’s team “neo-Nazi, submissive and obedient” for its relations with the United States, Adorni responded: “What can you expect from a donkey other than a kick? From a government of dictators you can expect questions that do not even deserve an answer. “It saddens us for the Venezuelan people that these madmen govern them.”
The Argentine Government criticized that Venezuela’s decision “has a very high economic cost” for passengers because “there are thousands of dollars” that will be added “per flight.” The decision affects, above all, the routes that Aerolíneas Argentinas, the flag company of the southern country, makes to and from New York, Miami and Punta Cana. According to the estimates prepared by the company, the routes will not undergo major changes—they will be only a few minutes difference—but there will be an increase in fuel consumption.