"We are not the 51st state." Venezuelan president responds to Trump from The Hague

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said Monday from The Hague that Venezuela "has never sought" to become the 51st U.S. state, while U.S. President Donald Trump insists the country is under his control and has repeatedly hinted at the possibility of becoming a U.S. state.

"This is not on the table at all, because if there is anything that distinguishes us Venezuelans and Venezuelans, it is that we love the path of our independence, and we love the heroes of our independence," Rodríguez said in response to a question.

Rodríguez said her government was working on a "diplomatic agenda for cooperation" with the United States, after Maduro's diplomatic ties with Washington were reactivated in March.

Rodriguez's comments came from The Hague, where she attended a hearing before the International Court of Justice on a dispute over the oil-rich region of Isequibo, which Guyana administers and claims in Caracas.

Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, has passed amendments to oil and mining laws that have made room for the private sector, particularly the United States.

It has issued an amnesty to release hundreds of political prisoners, some  500 of whom remain in prison. It has pledged to reform the judicial system.

Trump has repeatedly praised Rodriguez's actions and launched a path to gradual easing of sanctions imposed on the Caribbean country.

Trump considers annexing Venezuela to become the 51st U.S. state

Trump said on Monday that he was "seriously" considering making Venezuela his country's 51st state, and in a phone interview with Fox News, Trump added: "Venezuela loves Trump."

Trump noted that Venezuela has "$40 trillion" worth of oil, stressing that the country's resources are of great importance to the United States.

On January 3, the U.S. military launched an attack on Venezuela that resulted in the deaths and arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and taken to the United States.

Trump later announced that his country would run Venezuela's affairs during a transitional period and send its companies to invest in the oil sector, without specifying a timetable.

The two countries agreed in early March to restore diplomatic relations, following talks held by Washington with the government of Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.

Icequibo... Ignites conflict between Guyana and Venezuela

The Esquibo region is the largest border dispute in Latin America, accounting for about two-thirds of Guyana's area (about 160,000 square kilometers) and is under its administration, while Venezuela claims full sovereignty over it. Recent economic, judicial and political developments have reignited this complex historical file.

The dispute has come to the fore after massive offshore oil discoveries in 2015 by ExxonMobil off the coast of the region, which raised Guyana's proven reserves to about 11 billion barrels.

Production plans suggest Guyana could exceed 1.5 million barrels per day by the end of the decade, putting it ahead of Venezuela as a rising oil power in South America and giving it unprecedented economic weight.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague yesterday witnessed the closing hearings of the border dispute, where Guyana confirmed before the judges that Venezuela's demands represent "the actual destruction of its country as a sovereign state", demanding that the 1899 arbitration award that drew the current borders be upheld.

Delcy Rodríguez, on the other hand, led her country's case, declaring that Venezuela would not recognize any ruling that might be issued in favor of Guyana, and adhering to the 1966 Geneva Convention as the only framework for a solution through direct negotiation.