Wed, 26 Feb, 2014 04:15:20 AM

FTimes Report, February 26

Minister of Economic Affairs, Jan Vapaavuori (left) and Russia's state nuclear group Rosatom CEO Sergei Kiriyenko signed nuclear deal on Tuesday. Photo Lehtikuva. Jan Vapaavuori, minister of economic affairs of Finland, and Sergei Kiriyenko, CEO of the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, on Tuesday signed an agreement in Helsinki on cooperation between the two countries for “peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

In the agreement, Finland and Russia committed to cooperate in certain areas including research on nuclear energy and reactors and their use in producing energy; nuclear safety; radiation protection; and environmental protection; said a press release of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

Officials with proper authority can, on the basis of the agreement, authorise Russian and Finnish entities to implement programmes and projects with each other.

The authorities are the Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland and Rosatom of Russia, said the release.

The agreement also contains stipulations on what confidential information is to be shared in connection with the cooperation.

The agreement on nuclear energy succeeds the present one that expired in 2004.

A key question in negotiations was the issue of bearing the liability for damages as Russia and Finland have different agreement arrangements with respect to liability for damages for nuclear mishaps, said the release.