Maduro Vows to Appeal US Sanctions Against Venezuelan Conviasa Aircarrier in International Court

MONTEVIDEO (Sputnik) - The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has put Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios Aereos, also known as Conviasa, and its entire air fleet, consisting of 40 planes, on a sanctions list.

Caracas will go to international courts in connection with US sanctions against the Conviasa airline, President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday.

"We will immediately file a complaint against the US government over the damage they intend to inflict on Conviasa, Venezuela will seek justice in international courts", Maduro, whose statement was broadcast on Twitter, said.

#VIDEO 📹 | Pdte. @NicolasMaduro: Conviasa es la historia del esfuerzo y sacrificio. Yo les garantizo todo el apoyo financiero, logístico, institucional y humano para que esta empresa continúe creciendo y expandiéndose #ConviasaNoEstáSola pic.twitter.com/dnoL1jexMU

— VTV CANAL 8 (@VTVcanal8) February 10, 2020

​He also blamed the imposed sanctions on opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has claimed the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro relies heavily on the airline to travel abroad.

Earlier this week, a senior US administration official said the United States will impose "impactful" measures on the Maduro government.

Venezuela has been suffering from a severe political crisis since the beginning of last year, when Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, proclaimed himself an interim president of Venezuela in a bid to oust constitutionally-elected Maduro from power.

Maduro has accused Guaido of being a US puppet working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the United States can control Venezuela’s natural resources.

Several countries, led by the US, recognized Guaido, while Russia, China, Turkey and a number of other states firmly backed Maduro.