HELSINKI: India and Finland on Wednesday signed 19 agreements including one for peaceful use of nuclear energy as well as management of radioactive waste from atomic power plants as President Pranab Mukherjee began his two-day visit to the key Scandinavian country.

The president, who arrived here last night, began his visit to Finland after inspecting a guard of honour which was followed by a one-to-one meeting with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto and delegation-level talks.

The agreement for nuclear cooperation was signed by Indian ambassador to Finland Ashok Kumar and director general of Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland Petteri Tiippana in presence of Mukherjee and Niinisto.

The arrangement for cooperation between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland will ensure cooperation in the field of nuclear and radiation safety regulation concerning exchange of information personnel related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and radiation related to nuclear installations, radiation and nuclear safety including radioactive waste management, safety related issues and research.

It will also cover radiation safety, emergency preparedness, and radioactive waste management associated with the operation of nuclear power plants.

Immediately after the signing ceremony, the Finnish president underlined the importance of India in the world order and said his country was keenly observing the 'Make in India' policy announced recently and also that the two sides had agreed for doubling the trade from existing USD 1.5 billion to USD 3 billion in next three years.

While backing India's candidature in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the Finnish president said there was an immediate need for expanding the world body's top organ and it should include countries like India.

Talking about the relevance of the UN in present crisis in Syria and West Asia, Finland's president said, "Unfortunately, the UN has not been capable of giving a clear answer to situation in Syria or Ukraine. The Finnish perception is that we consider that veto right in Security Council is one obstacle that makes decision making in the UN very difficult indeed".

"We also see that UNSC should be enlarged by including countries like India," he said.

The two countries signed MoUs in the fields of science and technology, defence and education.

It included an agreement on exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official passports which will help to promote bilateral relations by facilitating the travel of diplomatic and official passport holders.

Under Statement of Intent (SoI) between Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), both institutions will explore opportunities for cooperation in the field of defence research and development.

An MoU between Indian Council for Medical Research and Research Council of Norway was also signed aimed at encouraging research in a range of health-related areas of mutual interest, including human vaccines, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

The agreement shall promote direct cooperation within the field being organised through joint calls and funding for research proposals/projects as well as facilitating exchange of scientists and scientific information.

Enlisting the areas in which India and Norway have a rewarding trade partnership including oil exploration and scientific research, Mukherjee said both the sides are keen to expand the scope of their collaborative efforts in earth sciences, bio-technology, clean energy, fishing and health care.

"I am confident that the bilateral agreements that we have signed will lead to further fruitful engagement in the many fields where India and Norway have obvious complementarities," the president said.

"We are grateful for your endorsement of India's rightful claim to Permanent Membership of the United Nations Security Council and for your proactive efforts that helped India achieve Observer status in the Arctic Council," he added.

The President said Norway will soon feature in the list of a few countries whose nationals get Visa on Arrival (VoA) facility in India.

The Indian government had in January 2010 launched VoA scheme to attract more foreign tourists to India. Initially the scheme was introduced for citizens of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore visiting India for tourism purposes.

The Government later extended this scheme to the citizens of Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and South Korea.

"We also need to create an ecosystem that shall facilitate exchange of students and faculty between our two countries and also nurture innovation and enterprise through joint courses and degrees," he said.