Russia willing to cooperate as political dispute rises in Venezuela

Russia on Friday offered to mediate between the government and opposition in Venezuela if necessary, saying it was ready to cooperate with all political forces that acted responsibly, the RIA news agency reported.

The comments came a day after Moscow said Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president and not opposition leader Juan Guaido who declared himself an interim leader on Wednesday, winning the support of Washington and parts of Latin America. The RIA news agency cited Alexander Shchetinin, the Russian foreign ministry's director for its Latin American department, as making the mediation offer.