Noting that India faced a "turbulent neighbourhood", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said it was a foremost challenge for New Delhi to create a "stable and cooperative atmosphere in the region to allow us to concentrate our energies on tackling problems at home and in the region".
"Peace, prosperity and stability in South Asia are a top priority concern of our external policies. The destiny of all countries is closely interlinked," he said laying the foundation stone for the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan in Delhi that will house the external affairs ministry.
Asserting that India had worked hard to create the space needed to have the freedom to make policy choices in an "increasingly interdependent world," Dr Singh said, "The means we adopt to pursue our enduring objectives of peace, national security and development will, of course, change from time to time.
"They (policies) will have to be evolved in response to the changing reality of an ever-changing world," he added.
Dr Singh said while the "instruments" of the United Progressive Alliance government's policy and the "tactics and strategy we adopt, may change with time, the values in which they are embedded are universal and will remain true for all".
"Our diplomats are called upon to steer the course of India's foreign relations in an extremely complex global scenario," Dr Singh said.