Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza: U.S. insists on air blockade and denies more than 800 Venezuelans humanitarian flights

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela complained on Tuesday, March 24, that the U.S. government refuses to authorize direct humanitarian flights from Venezuela to the Unites States to bring back more than 800 Venezuelan citizens stranded in that country due to contingency measures adopted to prevent the propagation of COVID-19. “We denounce that the US insists on its air blockade against Venezuela and still refuses to authorize direct humanitarian flights of Conviasa Airline or other lines, to bring back more than 800 compatriots stranded in the U.S. and registered in the system of our Foreign Affairs Ministry,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza posted on his Tweeter account @jaarreaza on Tuesday. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro recently requested the U.S. authorities’ necessary permissions for these flights, which were coordinated with Venezuela’s Conviasa airline after he received requests from Venezuelans who had planned to return and had air tickets. “I have received your proposals and I have authorized the airplanes to bring them back. It’s totally free. We will bring them back to their homeland, Venezuela, and provide them with healthcare and protection,” stressed the Venezuelan president. In a statement, the Venezuelan government informed that those Venezuelans requiring this benefit only have to access the web page web http://eeuu.embajada.gob.ve, and fill out the form to apply for the Plan Vuelta a la Patria, Contingencia COVID-19 “We opened a special web page in our Foreign Affairs Ministry, and 524 Venezuelans in the United States have registered. I have the airplanes ready to go. We are just waiting for the authorization of the US authorities to go get them,” said the Venezuelan president.