Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Venezuela’s elected President Nicolas Maduro on his victory to succeed the late Hugo Chavez, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Venezuela's elected President Nicolas Maduro on his victory to succeed the late Hugo Chavez, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The Russian head of state expressed confidence that under the leadership of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela will continue to strengthen its strategic partnership with Russia," the statement said.

Maduro was declared winner by a razor-thin margin on Monday over opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who refused to concede defeat.

Russia and Venezuela have enjoyed close relations and shared common interests in the past decades.

The Kremlin statement said Putin hoped to "further develop a constructive dialogue (with Venezuela) on a full range of bilateral and international issues of interest to the two countries and their peoples."