Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a televised address asserted Venezuela's historical rights to the disputed territory with Guyana.
Maduro confirmed the approval of a plan for the National Assembly to review a law designating Guyana-Essequibo as Venezuela's 24th state. HE warned against underestimating Venezuela's historical legacy, emphasizing the nation's role in "liberating America." He criticized the Guyanese government, referring to it as "the former British Guiana" and accusing it of being a British colony under the influence of foreigners.
"We know how to protect what belongs to us," Maduro asserted.