Caracas, July 28 (RHC)-- Latin American presidents and leaders issued statements Sunday marking the birthday anniversary of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, highlighting his legacy in the region and the world.

Writing on his official Twitter account, the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro stressed that Chavez's legacy is still alive and well.  "65 years of love Commander!  We celebrate your life, reaffirming the loyalty and commitment you sowed in us.  We will defend how you taught us, the happiness of the people you loved so much.  Thank you, teacher, for guiding us in the everyday struggle.  Chavez is today, alive and active!"

The Cuban head of state Miguel Diaz-Canel recalled a phrase of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, in which he comments on the ideology of the Venezuelan ex-president.   "Fidel said: In Chavez, they reincarnated the ideas of Bolivar [...]. Perhaps greater attention was never given to the most heartfelt desires and needs of people.  Some fruits are already perceived," the Cuban president said quoting Fidel in a tweet on his Twitter account and added: "Our heartfelt tribute to Chavez on the 65th anniversary of his birth."

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, born on July 28, 1954 in Sabanetas de Barinas, was a military man who was elected president in 1999.  He remained in the position for three more terms, winning multiple presidential votes, until his death in 2013.

Chavez was in fact influenced by the Cuban Revolution and its leaders Fidel and Raul and made Cuba one of the most important allies of the Venezuelan state.

Meanwhile, Bolivian President Evo Morales said, in a tweet, Hugo Chávez Frías, who he called an eternal friend, "deepened solidarity among brother peoples and fought to realize the dream of the Great Homeland of Liberator Simón Bolívar" and adding "Our tribute to the Commander is to defend the sovereignty of Latin America," said the Bolivian head of state."

Earlier, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also praised the legacy of Commander Hugo Chavez and said that through it the Venezuelan people are fighting the interventionist attempts against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

"You are present today in Venezuela and in Our America. Your Bolivarian and Chavista people resist the imperialist onslaught and defend their sovereignty at all costs. The leftist and progressive forces, from Caracas, raise your ideals. Your legacy guides us, commits us," Rodriguez stressed in the same social network.

Chavez pushed for regional integration within Latin American peoples and governments, supporting leftist leaders and movements all around the region. He helped establish multiple regional organizations and institutions that would attempt to move Latin America away from U.S. dominance and neoliberal policies in the region.