MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The president of Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Maikel Moreno, and Vyacheslav Lebedev, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Russia, agreed at a meeting in Moscow on Monday to develop working contacts in light of the preparation of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries' judicial systems.

"Both sides confirmed that they would work to further expand and strengthen relations and cooperation between the higher judicial institutions of the two states", a statement released by Moreno on Facebook said.

During the meeting, Moreno and Lebedev exchanged ideas on legal issues with a view to include them into the future memorandum of understanding, the statement added.

The meeting was also attended by Venezuelan Ambassador to Russia Carlos Rafael Faria Tortosa.

Venezuela has been suffering from an acute political crisis since January when US-backed Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust Nicolas Maduro after the latter's re-election.

The United States and its allies, including many EU nations, have swiftly recognized Guaido's self-nomination, while Russia and China, among others, have voiced their support for constitutionally-elected Maduro as the country’s only legitimate president.

Since May, Caracas and the Venezuelan opposition have been engaged in talks mediated by the Norwegian government. Earlier this month, a delegation of the Venezuelan government and representatives of the opposition held a three-day round of Norway-mediated talks in Barbados as part of the efforts to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the country.