Johannesburg: Indian 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 the 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 Russia elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnership".
Modi on Friday met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit here and congratulated him on his re-election.
The PM also met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday where it was agreed that the Chinese defence minister would visit India next month as part of the efforts to maintain the "momentum" generated by their recent meetings.