Asian and European leaders attending the 6th Asia-Europe Summit(ASEM) on Monday adopted a decision on the admission of India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bulgaria and Romania as new members.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat has also joined the ASEM.

The decision was announced in a press release issued at the end of the two-day meeting which brought together leaders and top officials from the European Union's 25 members and 13 Asian countries -- the 10 ASEAN members plus China, Japan and South Korea.

"Enlargement will increase the international importance of ASEM," the press release said.

Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland which holds the current EU presidency, said earlier that the enlargement "will not only widen, but also significantly deepen Asia-Europe relations."

The EU will grow to 27 member states next year if Bulgaria and Romania join the bloc as scheduled.

After the completion of the respective internal procedures by the European and Asian countries, the six new partners will formally become member states at the 2008 ASEM Summit in China, expanding its membership from 39 to 45.

With the accession of new partners, almost 60 percent of the world's population will be involved in ASEM cooperation.