Had productive meeting with President Putin: Modi

Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he held “wide-ranging and productive” talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin here on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, and emphasised that the friendship between the two countries was deep-rooted.
Modi was meeting Putin for a third time after their informal summit in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June.
“Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India’s friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia,” Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet.
The two leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially in trade, investment, energy, defence and tourism, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet later. The Modi-Putin meeting got over at midnight local time, he said.
During their meeting in Sochi, India and had Russia elevated their strategic partnership to a “special privileged strategic partnership”.
Modi arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend the two-day BRICS Summit.
BRICS is a grouping of emerging nations formed in 2009 and comprises five countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Representing over 40 per cent of the world’s population, the block’s growth rates surpass those of the developed countries of the G7. (PTI)