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TEHRAN, Mar 01 - Russia on Friday vowed to maintain support for Venezuelan "friend" President Nicolas Maduro, including with humanitarian aid supplies.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - During talks with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin expressed "support and solidarity for his colleague and friend" Maduro in the country's political standoff with the opposition.
"Russia will continue to assist the Venezuelan authorities in resolving social and economic problems, including through the provision of legitimate humanitarian aid," Lavrov told a joint news conference with Rodriguez afterwards.
Battered by an economic meltdown, Venezuela descended into political crisis when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in January and asserted that Maduro was no longer legitimate.
Maduro and his allies -- including Russia -- have accused Washington of attempting to carry out a coup against his government.
The United States has recognized Guaido and led a diplomatic campaign in support of his leadership.
Lavrov said Russia had recently sent to Venezuela 7.5 tonnes of medical supplies and received a request for more shipments, AFP reported.
"We are currently considering it," he said.
He added that Russia was also sending "mass supplies" of wheat to Venezuela, claiming those shipments helped normalise the humanitarian situation in the crisis-hit country.
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