Bali: India and the powerful 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on October 8 issued a Joint Declaration on Cooperation for Combating International Terrorism and signed a major Framework Agreement to comprehensively enhance their current trade turnover of $ 12 billion and establish a free trade area in 10 years.

Another accord declaring India's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in South East Asia was signed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and heads of state or government of the 10 ASEAN countries attending the second day-long India-ASEAN Summit in Bali.

The first India-ASEAN Summit was held in 2002 in Cambodia.

The Joint Declaration on Terrorism initiated by External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and ASEAN Foreign Ministers envisages exchange of information, cooperation in legal matters, free cooperation in enforcement matters, institutional capacity building and training to combat the scourge.

The Declaration, which is on the lines that the grouping has with the US, lays down the "seriousness" of the 10 countries to deal with the menace of terrorism and related crimes like money laundering and drug trafficking, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told reporters.

The declaration comes in the backdrop of the terrorist bombings in October 2002 and in August 2003 in Bali and Jakarta in Indonesia.

"Terrorism has become a major concern of several ASEAN members," Sibal said after the closed door summit in which Vajpayee participated.

PTI