India and Russia on Thursday agreed that an annual forum for media cooperation be organised alternately in the two countries to institutionalise the process of cooperation in the sector.

The decision was taken at a meeting between a Russian delegation led by Russian Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Alexey Volin, including Ambassador of Russian Federation to India Nikolay Kudashev, and other delegates, met Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare.

"It was mutually agreed during the meeting that an annual Indo-Russian Forum for Media Cooperation be organised alternately in India and Russia in order to institutionalise the process of cooperation between the two countries in the media and entertainment sector," an official statement said.

Television, news agencies, digital distribution platforms, new media, news gathering, co-production of programmes, sharing of content and exchange of professionals were identified as possible areas of collaboration, it said.

During the discussion, Khare stated that the golden jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of India, scheduled to be held later this year, offers an opportunity to countries to showcase their creativity and cinematic excellence on a global platform.

He extended an invitation to the Russian delegation to participate in the festival.

Volin talked about the immense popularity of Indian films in Russia and mentioned about a 24-hour channel dedicated solely to Indian films, currently operational in Russia, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)