India today vowed to work towards building a "peaceful, stable and economically inter-linked neighbourhood" but made it clear that export of terrorism must end for the relationships to grow, an apparent reference to Pakistan.
President Pranab Mukherjee, while outlining the agenda of Narendra Modi government, said India will also engage energetically with other neighbours like China as well as the USA, Japan, Europe and rest of the world to fully realise the full potential of the country's "soft power".
The new government will pursue international engagement based on "enlightened national interest", combining the strength of the country's values with pragmatism, "leading to a doctrine of mutually-beneficial relationships", he said.
"My government is committed to building a strong, self-reliant and self-confident India, regaining its rightful place in the comity of nations," Mukherjee said.
Referring to the invitation to leaders of SAARC and Mauritius for the new government's swearing-in ceremony on May 26, the President described it as a "unique and bold signal" to South Asian region and the world.
"This shows my government's commitment and determination to work towards building a peaceful, stable and economically inter-linked neighbourhood which is essential for the collective development and prosperity of the South Asian region.
"We will further work together with the South Asian leaders to revitalise SAARC as an effective instrument for regional cooperation and as a united voice on global issues," he said.
At the same time, he said, "we will never shy away from raising issues of concern to us at a bilateral level. We emphasise that the future of shared prosperity can only be built on the foundation of stability in the region, which requires sensitivity to security concerns and end to export of terrorism to neighbours."
Though he made no mention of Pakistan the reference was clearly to it as India has been complaining about terror continuously emanating from that country.
