(MENAFN) Venezuela has condemned US President Donald Trump's declaration threatening to shut down Venezuelan airspace, with Caracas insisting on "unconditional respect" for its sovereign aerial territory.

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasizing that the nation's airspace falls under protections established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Citing provisions from the 1944 Chicago Convention, the ministry declared: "It is clearly recognized that every state has exclusive and absolute sovereignty over the airspace above its territory. The Bolivarian Government declares that Venezuela will not accept any orders, threats, or interventions from any foreign power. No authority other than Venezuelan institutions has the right to interfere with, obstruct, or impose conditions on the use of national airspace."

The statement accused Washington of unilaterally canceling deportation flights returning Venezuelan migrants to their homeland.

"The US unilaterally halted these flights. These flights were conducted as part of the Return to the Homeland Plan to regularly and weekly return Venezuelans to their country. To date, 75 flights have brought back 13,956 of our citizens," officials said.

Caracas characterized US military operations as endangering the Caribbean and northern South America, calling upon the international community, sovereign nations, the UN, and multilateral institutions to break their silence.

"Venezuela will respond with all the strength granted by international law and the anti-imperialist spirit of our people, with dignity and legality. Our country will continue to exercise its sovereignty, protected by international law, fully across its airspace. This threat against Venezuela is a threat to the peace of the continent and to our people. Our citizens, heirs of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, will prevail," the statement concluded.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil denounced Trump's comments about "completely shutting down Venezuela's airspace," characterizing them as evidence of an "approach that carries colonial ambitions toward the Latin American region."

Gil stated Venezuela "strongly rejects" Trump's rhetoric, which he framed as attempts to "dictate to and threaten" a sovereign nation.

"Such statements are unilateral, arbitrary, and hostile actions that are incompatible with the most fundamental principles of international law, and they are part of an ongoing policy of aggression against our country," he posted on X.

Domestic media outlets report that Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela's primary aviation hub, maintains regular flight schedules despite Trump's warnings.

Caracas's response followed Trump's social media post warning: "all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human traffickers, please take into account that Venezuelan airspace and the area surrounding it will be completely shut down."

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