THE Venezuela negotiates with the United States to include the national airline Conviasasanctioned by Washingtonin an agreement concluded for the “direct repatriation” Venezuelan migrants from the American territory, reported the Ministry of Transport.
The Venezuelan airline has been sanctioned by Washington since 2020. According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Transport, the intention is to guarantee the “direct repatriation” migrants who are in the United States. Washington announced last Thursday an agreement with Caracas to resume expulsions, at a time when Democratic President Joe Biden, candidate for re-election in 2024, is under strong pressure, not only from Republicans, who accuse him of provoking a crisis at the border with Mexico, but also Democrats in charge of cities overwhelmed with migrants, like New York or Chicago.
According to the Venezuelan Minister of Transport, Ramón Velásquez, Conviasa is not yet included in the agreement, but negotiations are ongoing and it is expected that the airline will be included in the air bridge between the two countries after technical clarifications and agreements between governments.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro welcomes this initiative and considers it a way of “regularize the migration issue” with the United States. The US government has not recognized Maduro as legitimate president since his re-election in 2018, deemed fraudulent, which the Venezuelan opposition has also denounced.
Repatriation flights, if approved, will be carried out directly through the program “Vuelta a la Patria”the plan of Chavista government for the return of Venezuelan citizens, which Maduro says has already brought back more than 400,000 people in the country. The UN estimates that more than seven million Venezuelans have emigrated to escape a serious political and economic crisis. The Venezuelan government questions that figure, saying some two million people have left the country and blames U.S. financial sanctions for trying to force Maduro from power.
