Venezuela`s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has reaffirmed that Caracas has the sovereign right to maintain diplomatic relations with China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia, rejecting US interference and denouncing Washington`s aggressive posture toward the co

Venezuela`s Interim President, Delcy Rodriguez (C), upon her arrival at the Federal Legislative Palace, Caracas, Venezuela, January 16, 2025. (Photo via social media)

Speaking on Thursday during the annual presentation of the executive`s performance to the Venezuelan Parliament, Rodriguez underlined the country`s right to chart its own foreign policy.

"We have the right to have diplomatic relations with China, with Russia, with Iran, with Cuba; with all the peoples of the world ... We are a sovereign nation," she said.

Rodriguez condemned what she described as "invasive aggression" by the United States on January 3, calling it "a stain on the relationship between the two countries."

She stressed that despite Washington`s hostile actions, her government "has decided to choose the diplomatic path" to confront the crisis imposed on Venezuela.

Describing the current moment as the beginning of a "new political era," Rodriguez devoted a significant part of her address to honoring President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were kidnapped during the US aggression on January 3.

She also sought to strengthen the morale of the revolutionary movement in the aftermath of the attack.

Reaffirming her commitment to the core principles of Chavismo, the political movement founded by Hugo Chavez, Rodriguez credited Maduro with the government`s work. "This work belongs to President Maduro," she said while presenting the official report on the executive`s performance.

Rodriguez pledged to continue efforts for the release of Maduro and Flores and called for "a minute of applause" in honor of Cuban and Venezuelan soldiers killed in clashes with US troops, framing their deaths as a consequence of Washington`s militarized intervention.

Both Rodriguez and her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, struck a measured tone toward the opposition.

They emphasized the need for political coexistence and accepted responsibility for improving the country`s political climate, even as external pressure intensifies.

At the same time, Rodriguez warned the opposition against interpreting limited gestures or efforts to reduce tensions as weakness.

She stressed that fascist extremism would not be tolerated and that the state would act decisively to confront it.

"It is not that the acting president is afraid because she is being threatened. No. All of Venezuela is being threatened, and with sovereignty at stake, we will fight the diplomatic battle," she said.

Rodriguez also delivered a sharp critique of US foreign policy, pointing to a long record of manipulation, intervention, and economic exploitation across Latin America. She said Washington has consistently worked to undermine the region`s independence while expanding its own power.

"The Monroe Doctrine and the Bolivarianism that we advocate and defend are completely opposing projects; they are antithetical," she said.

Referring to recent negotiations between US President Donald Trump and opposition figure María Corina Machado, Rodriguez said that if she were ever to travel to Washington as interim president, she would do so with dignity, standing upright, carrying the Venezuelan tricolor, and never on her knees.