NEW DELHI, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed enhancement of bilateral ties and a gamut of international issues during a telephonic conversation on Wednesday, according to an official release.

This was the second telephonic conversation between the two leaders in the past week.

"Modi greeted the Russian leader on the occasion of the New Year. They discussed the intensification of the bilateral relations between India and Russia and their cooperation in the international forums," the release said.

"They positively reviewed the exchanges between the two countries in 2017 and agreed to further strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership," it added.

On Dec. 30, 2017, President Putin called both Modi and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and greeted them in his annual New Year message.