Gustavo Petro, in his capacity as president of Colombia and of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), has firmly rejected the order issued by his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to close Venezuelan airspace.
“I want to know, under what rule of international law can a president of one country close the airspace of another nation?” the Colombian head of state asked in a message posted on his official Twitter account.
“If such a rule exists, I apologize for my boldness, but if it doesn’t, and the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) is failing at this moment, I tell the world that a foreign president cannot close national airspace,” he stated.
“Or the concept of national sovereignty and the concept of ‘international law’ are finished. I speak as president of CELAC and of the Republic of Colombia,” Petro concluded his message.
This Saturday, President Donald Trump used his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce the “total closure” of airspace over and around Venezuela, intensifying tensions in a region where the US military presence is growing rapidly.
Trump urged all airlines to consider Venezuelan airspace “completely closed,” ostensibly targeting airlines, drug traffickers, and human traffickers. The statement comes as Washington reinforces its military deployment in the Caribbean, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking and alleged threats to regional security.
In response, the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced and condemned the US threats against its airspace, stating that they violate national sovereignty.
IMAGE CREDIT: “I want to know, under what rule of international law can a president of one country close the airspace of another nation?” Photo: Colombian President Gustavo Petro ( Photo: EFE / teleSUR )
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
