Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez told reporters Monday that her country has no plans to become the 51st U.S. state, after President Donald Trump said he was "seriously considering" the move, the AP reported.
Rodriguez was speaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the final day of hearings in a dispute between her country and neighboring Guyana over the vast mineral- and oil-rich Essequibo region.
"We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history," said Rodriguez, who took power in January after a U.S. military operation that ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela is "not a colony, it's a free country," she added.
In an interview with Fox News earlier Monday, Trump said he was "seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st state of the United States."
Trump has made similar comments about Canada.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly later declined to comment on Trump's plans. Kelly said the president is "known for never accepting the status quo" and praised Rodriguez for "incredible cooperation" with the United States.