New Delhi, May 12 -- Venezuela 's acting President Delcy Rodriguez told journalists Monday that her country had no plans to become the 51st U.S. state after President Donald Trump said he was "seriously considering" the move.

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 massive mineral- and oil-rich Essequibo region.

"We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history," said Rodriguez, who assumed power in January following a U.S. military operation that ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela is "not a colony, but a free country," she added.

Speaking to Fox News earlie...