Trump orders reopening of Venezuelan airspace to commercial flights

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he has directed his administration to reopen Venezuelan airspace to commercial flights, a move he said would allow U.S. citizens to travel to Venezuela in the near future.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had informed Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez of the decision, nearly four weeks following a U.S. military raid on Venezuela.

"American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there," said Trump.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Trump administration plans to "very quickly" reopen the U.S. embassy in the oil-rich South American country.

The U.S. embassy in Venezuela was shut down in 2019. ■