New Delhi, Jan 25, IRNA , India and France Friday signed four agreements after the delegation level talks between the visiting French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

The four agreements seek to expand and diversify the cooperation by the two countries in fields of defence, civil nuclear energy, trade and transfer sentenced prisoners.

An MOU to have collaboration in the area of neuroscience was also signed.

Speaking at a joint press conference after meeting French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "We have signed a bilateral atomic energy co-operation pact."
France has strongly advocated civil nuclear cooperation with India, provided New Delhi must fulfill its international obligations.

Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the summit talks, the visiting French President Nicholas Sarkozy said that India has never contributed to the nuclear proliferation and it has already declared a moratorium in nuclear testing in 1998.

He said that India must get excess to civil nuclear energy to sustain its high growth rate with its essential for poverty elevation and education to the needy.

He said that in the absence of civil nuclear technology, more policing industries and energies will lead to the damage to the environment.

He added that the French company Areva is more than willing to cooperate with India in achieving its energy security demand.

On the trade front, both the sides set a target of 12 billion Euros by 2012.

Sarkozy said 10 billion Euros will be invested by French companies in near future.

Sarkozy arrived New Delhi Friday morning on a two-day India visit.