On X, the president recalled this Thursday marks the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Constitutive Treaty of the regional integration bloc, which came into being on a day like today in 2008.

“Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to work for the definitive unity for the development of the Great Homeland,” he said.

On an audiovisual accompanying the message, Commander Hugo Chavez (1954-2013) declared on the island of Margarita, in the state of Nueva Esparta, ‘the concept, the idea and the realization of the South American union was born,’ which could well, he stated, be the founding engine of the world’s changes. ‘Let us fearlessly lay the cornerstones of South American freedom, to hesitate is to lose ourselves, a purely South American concept,’ Chavez urged.

The Bolivarian leader assured that only union will make us free ‘this immense continent, this great South American people.’

Maduro stressed on the video that UNASUR is very positive for us -all the governments of the bloc- which ratifies the political validity, usefulness and necessity of the union of South America to ‘face the times that are developing towards a horizon of major greatness for our region.’

The head of State stressed the importance of the Union of South American Nations always having the capacity for dialogue in diversity and for understanding each other, but most of all, ‘to understand that together we exist,’ he noted.

In that sense, he called for joint reflection and to make forceful decisions in defense of the dignity of our region.

UNASUR was born as an integration mechanism on May 23, 2008 in the context of the extraordinary meeting of Heads of State and Government held in the city of Brasilia, Brazil, and came into force on March 11, 2011 with the delivery by Uruguay of the ratification document to the Government of Ecuador.

The mechanism is made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

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