France welcomes release of Franco-American national held in Venezuela

France on Monday welcomed the release of Lucas Hunter, a Franco-American national, who has been detained in Venezuela since January, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"France applauds the efforts of the U.S State Department to secure his release," it said.

Hunter, 37, was among 10 Americans detained in Venezuela, whose release was announced by U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday.

The release was part of a coordinated prisoner exchange, with El Salvador's government sending detained Venezuelans home in exchange for the return to the U.S. of 10 Americans held in Venezuela.

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This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.