Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said a landmark pact signed between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations was of intense significance and sets the agenda for New Delhi's ties with the grouping.

The pact reflects the "sincere belief" within the 10-member ASEAN that the future lies in working together with India, he told accompanying media on board his special aircraft after attending the 3rd India-ASEAN summit in Laos.

"I have never seen such encouraging endorsement of India," he said. "For me, it was a truly emotional experience."

According to him, the agreement on "peace, progress and shared prosperity" covers a wide range of issues, from a call for collective action to fight global terrorism to expanding economic ties.

The nine-page document envisages intensive cooperation on political and security issues, besides the economic, science and technology, health and cultural fields.

On terrorism and other crimes, the agreement says cooperation between India and ASEAN must be effectively strengthened and expanded to combat the scourge.

It also calls for international linkages for intelligence and information sharing, as well as exchange of information and cooperation in legal matters.

The agreement also says that India and ASEAN nations must cooperate closely on reforming and democratising the UN and other world bodies and make them reflective of contemporary realities.

Other areas of cooperation suggested in the pact include energy, trade, investment, finance, science, research and development, IT, transport, infrastructure, healthcare, human resource development, tourism and culture.

--Indo-Asian News Service