Russian, Venezuelan foreign ministers meet in Vienna

MOSCOW

Russian and Venezuelan foreign ministers met on Thursday on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.

According to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia's Sergey Lavrov stressed the importance of finding a solution to the Venezuelan crisis within the framework of the international law.

In turn, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza thanked his Russian counterpart for the support on behalf of the Venezuelan government.

"We could advance in a lot of topics where we are working together, it's very important. And your support in this struggle is very important. Your ambassador in the UN Vasily [Nebenzya] has been very, very active. And the UN is the place where we have to battle and win," Arreaza said.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.

Tensions escalated when Juan Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.

Turkey, Russia, Iran, Cuba, China, and Bolivia put their weight behind Maduro, who has vowed to cut all diplomatic and political ties with the U.S.