CEBU, Philippines, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Saturday adopted an agreement, or Cebu Declaration, that will further spur economic, political security and socio-cultural cooperation in the region.

    At the 12th ASEAN Summit which opened here Saturday, the grouping's 10 member countries signed the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 in a determined effort to deal more effectively with the increasing range of trans-boundary concerns which the region is facing in this rapidly changing world.

    The ASEAN leaders said in the document that they recognized that different levels of development within ASEAN require some flexibility as ASEAN moves towards a more integrated and interconnected future.

    In response to the increasing number of regional challenges, the ASEAN leaders believed that they must exert their best efforts to build a strong ASEAN community premised on a closely integrated, dynamic and vibrant regional economy, deeper political and security cooperation and stronger socio-cultural linkages.

    Under the Declaration, the leaders expressed their strong commitment towards accelerating the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 along the lines of ASEAN Vision 2020 and the Declaration of ASEAN Concord II, under the three pillars of the ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

    The leaders agreed to accelerate the full implementation of the ASEAN Community's program areas, measures, and principles, with appropriate flexibility.

    They expressed ASEAN's determination to accelerate a stronger, more united and cohesive ASEAN that can better manage the challenges posed by the evolving regional architecture and economic climate.

    They also committed to further expanding ASEAN's engagement with its dialogue partners -- Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand and other parties, an engagement which they believed will assist ASEAN in its integration efforts to achieve the ASEAN community by 2015.

    ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.