New Delhi [India], September 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of BRICS Summit in the national capital and reviewed progress in bilateral ties in a range of areas including defence, energy, space and people-to- people domains. 

This was their second meeting in a fortnight. The two leaders had met earlier in Bishkek on the sidelines of the 26th SCO Summit on  August 31.

"PM @narendramodi held wide-ranging discussions with President Putin on various aspects of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. The leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation in sectors including trade, energy, defense, space and people to people ties which remain key focus areas of the enduring India-Russia partnership," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X. 

They also shared perspectives on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers. 

PM Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remains the way forward in resolving conflicts and India stands ready to assist in peace efforts.

The two leaders welcomed Russia's International Industrial Exhibition 'INNOPROM India', which was held for the first time in India from September 9-11 and underscored its importance in further expanding trade and industrial ties. The two leaders also visited the INNOPROM India exhibition and interacted with the participants.

PM Modi and President Putin agreed to remain engaged in an effort to strengthen further the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which continues to register significant growth and has shown resilience in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties.

President Putin invited Prime Minister to visit Russia for the 24th India-Russia Annual Summit. Prime Minister accepted the invitation. The dates of the Summit will be decided as per mutual convenience through diplomatic channels.

Earlier, during their bilateral talks, PM Modi gifted Putin a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, the classical Tamil scripture composed by the weaver-saint Thiruvalluvar.

'Two thousand years ago, Thiruvalluvar wrote the Thirukkural. It includes the entire gamut of human life. It has been translated into the Russian language. I am confident that the people-to-people contact will increase with the translation of the Thirukkural into Russian, which will play a big role in strengthening our relations,' PM Modi told Putin.

In a subsequent post on X, PM Modi wrote, 'Presented President Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, which carries the eternal wisdom of the great Thiruvalluvar across languages and borders.'

The Thirukkural consists of 1,330 couplets (kurals), each just two lines long, and rests on universal values: aram (virtue), porul (wealth and statecraft) and inbam (love). The text is revered by Tamils as a sacred scripture and is often called "the Tamil Veda". (ANI)