Venezuela president says flights to bring home migrants from US ‘affected’

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(Reuters) -Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday that scheduled flights to bring home Venezuelan migrants from the U.S. had been affected by “this unexplained, tremendous commotion”, after the Trump administration canceled a license allowing Chevron to operate in the South American country.

Earlier in his remarks Maduro said that if it was up to him Chevron would remain in Venezuela, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision last week to reverse a key license for the company, citing lack of progress on electoral reforms and migrant returns.

Maduro, however, did not mention the company’s name directly in reference to the migrant flights. He said that communication between the two countries had been damaged and flights affected.

Maduro and his government have always rejected sanctions by the U.S. and others, saying they are illegitimate measures that amount to an “economic war” designed to cripple Venezuela.

Maduro and his allies have cheered what they say is the country’s resilience despite the measures, though they have historically blamed some economic hardships and shortages on sanctions.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy)