Modi and Putin travel to Bharat Mandapam in Russian presidential limousine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together in Putin’s armoured Aurus Senat limousine to the INNOPROM exhibition at Bharat Mandapam on Thursday.

The journey followed bilateral talks between the two leaders in New Delhi, ahead of the 11-member BRICS summit. Bharat Mandapam is also set to host the BRICS Business Forum leaders’ session.

During the meeting, Modi presented Putin with a Russian translation of the *Thirukkural*, the classical Tamil text by Thiruvalluvar. Modi said the translation could help expand people-to-people contact between India and Russia.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the leaders reviewed cooperation in trade, energy, defence, space and people-to-people ties. They also discussed regional and global issues, including conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region. Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward in resolving conflicts, the ministry said.

Delhi has already prepared traffic diversions around Bharat Mandapam for the summit period. Read the diversion details before travelling through the venue’s surrounding roads.