Nicolas Maduro and Javier Milei harbor a mutual disdain that goes beyond ideology and risks dragging Venezuela-Argentina relations into a bilateral crisis. Maduro shut Venezuelan airspace to Argentine planes in retaliation for the right wing Argentine government’s decision to hand over a Boeing 747-300 to the United States, a plane that had been held in Buenos Aires for two years. The aircraft belonged to the Venezuelan company Emtrasur, a subsidiary of Conviasa, which had attracted the scrutiny of Washington. Its crew faced judicial inquiries over alleged ties to Iran that could not be proven. Although the dispute began under the previous administration of Alberto Fernandez, ties worsened after Milei took office in December of last year.
The dispute’s airplane left for the United States in February, though no criminal offense had been proven. Inside were auto parts from Volkswagen. Relations between the two countries soured further. Maduro accused Milei of stealing the plane from Venezuela and called him a bandit.
The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, intensified the rhetoric usually reserved for two nations, labeling the Argentine government a neonazi regime that is subservient to its imperial master. He added that Venezuela asserts full sovereignty over its airspace and that no aircraft originating from or bound for Argentina will be allowed to fly over Venezuelan territory until Caracas is fully compensated for the damages caused by the actions taken to appease its northern tutors. The measure affects flights to Miami, New York, and tourist hubs in the Caribbean.
“Friends of terrorism”
Argentina warned it would not be extorted by friends of terrorism, alluding to both Caracas and Tehran. A presidential spokesperson suggested that a government of dictators should not expect anything more than indifference in response. The exchange underscored a broader pattern of rhetoric and retaliation between the two nations.
More frictions
For now, Buenos Aires plans to intensify its effort to condemn Venezuela at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. In February, Maduro expelled the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights after that office showed interest in Rocío San Miguel, a activist detained when attempting to board a flight with her daughter at the Simón Bolívar International Airport.
A council commission from the rights body that includes Argentina voiced deep concern over the events and also noted alleged harassment of Vente Venezuela militants, whose leader Maria Corina Machado won the opposition primaries but has been barred from participating in the July elections.
The ultranational government has yet to appoint an ambassador to Caracas. According to the portal La Política Online, sources confirmed that the Foreign Ministry is seeking a diplomatic channel with the Venezuelan regime to resolve the crisis, even as social networks and anti Chavez narratives persist.
Other analysts doubt that path. Milei, who had sharp exchanges on the X platform with Colombian colleague Gustavo Petro, aims to become a strong antagonist to Maduro as the political campaign in Venezuela unfolds. In Argentina, more than 200,000 Venezuelans reside, many of whom emigrated amid the crisis and who in part sympathize with Maduro.
Similar to Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 elections that brought him to power, Milei framed Venezuela as a danger to Argentina when he faced the Peronist Sergio Massa. He argued that Peronism and chavismo are two sides of the same coin and warned of a shared ruin if that party remained in power. Today, Argentina’s inflation far exceeds Venezuela’s.