NEW DELHI, July 8. /TASS/. The visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia demonstrates significance of relations between the two countries in the sphere of energy and defense, The Indian Express newspaper said.

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Russia demonstrates importance of bilateral ties, particularly in energy and defense sphere, The Indian Express said.

"In choosing Russia for his first bilateral visit after being sworn in, Modi has broken with the tradition of India’s new Prime Minister travelling first to a neighboring country, a template that he followed in both June 2014 (Bhutan) and June 2019 (Maldives and Sri Lanka)," the newspaper said. Modi travelled to Italy last month, "but that was for a multilateral meeting of G7 leaders," the news outlet noted.