MOSCOW, August 11 /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Venezuelan counterpart Delsey Rodriguez discussed the situation in Venezuela by telephone on Thursday at the Venezuelan side’s request.

"The foreign ministers discussed the development of the situation in Venezuela and a number of bilateral and international issues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The situation in Venezuela aggravated after parliamentary elections in December 2015 at which the Socialist Party of incumbent President Nicholas Maduro had suffered a defeat. The opposition won the majority of seats in the National Assembly (parliament) for the first time over the past 17 years. The struggle between the president and the newly elected parliament continues amidst the socio-economic crisis, which has deepened due to fallen oil prices.