Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led a ceremony on Wednesday commemorating the 200th anniversary of the presentation of the Sword of Peru to Simon Bolivar, an emblematic tribute to the Liberator’s victories in Junin and Ayacucho, which sealed the defeat of Spanish colonial rule in Latin America.

The event took place in the Courtyard of Honor of the Military Academy of Venezuela, following a patriotic march from Zona Rental. Senior officers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), military cadets, and large crowds of citizens joined the commemorative procession.

Symbol of resistance, continental unity

Maduro highlighted the historic significance of the sword gifted to Bolivar two centuries ago, recalling its role as a symbol of emancipation for the peoples of the continent. He stressed that the Bolivarian Revolution “restored this sword to its luster and power,” reaffirming its place as a symbol guiding Venezuela toward “future victories.”

“We are the children of the liberators of the sun,” Maduro said.

“Victors of all eras and all battles, we carry their sword,” he underlined.

The president underscored that the legacy of late revolutionary President Hugo Chavez remains at the heart of the nation’s political and military identity, strengthening the resolve of the FANB and the Venezuelan people in defense of sovereignty.

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Defending Venezuela against new threats

Throughout his address, Maduro warned of “new imperial threats of the international far right,” framing the commemorative ceremony as both a tribute to history and a reaffirmation of Venezuela’s resistance against foreign interference.

“We must be capable of defending every inch of this blessed land from any imperialist threat or aggression,” he asserted.

“The homeland is sacred, the homeland must be respected,” Maduro added.

Maduro declared that the nation’s strength lies in the political power built by its people, dedicated to safeguarding peace, “not the peace of slaves, cemeteries, or colonies,” he said, but “the peace of free, independent, and sovereign peoples.”

Solemn oath for the future

The president concluded the ceremony with a solemn vow to uphold Bolivar’s legacy and defend the Republic.

“For the peace of the free, the perpetual Bolivarian peace of Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias,” Maduro proclaimed, “I swear, by the historical memory of our ancestors, that victory will be ours.”

In recent weeks, Venezuelan officials have warned of an intensifying campaign by the United States aimed at destabilizing the country’s political leadership and pressuring its sovereign institutions.

Caracas has repeatedly warned that Washington’s escalating pressure is no longer limited to sanctions or political ultimatums but now includes an aggressive military posture around Venezuela’s borders.

The recent deployment of US Navy vessels in the Southern Caribbean, combined with the terror-designation campaign targeting senior Venezuelan officials, has raised alarms across the region. Venezuelan authorities stress that these moves as part of a coordinated attempt to create the conditions for intervention under the guise of “counter-narcotics” or “counter-terrorism.”

As a result, the Bolivarian government has intensified its defensive preparations, stressing that the nation will confront any act of aggression and defend its sovereignty firmly, collectively, and without hesitation.

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