Prez meets delegates to the Sixth Annual Heads of Mission Conference

Addressing the Ambassadors and High Commissioners who head India’s Missions abroad, the President said India demonstrated dynamism and bold leadership by inviting leaders of SAARC countries to attend the swearing-in of the new Government in May last year.

"That initiative must be followed through to its logical conclusion through incisive diplomacy even as we remain firm in protecting our security and putting in place impregnable security mechanisms," he said.

Mukherjee said the one adage which never goes stale in international politics is ‘You can choose your friend but not your neighbour’.

"A strong message was conveyed to our neighbours that the region must decide whether to live in perpetual tension or understanding. Our initiatives in the neighbourhood must be followed up with concrete steps to consolidate and make permanent the advances we make in our relations," he said.

Speaking on the issue of the global war on terrorism, the President said, "We have in recent days witnessed the horrific killings of innocent hostages in Syria, the attack on the media in Paris and the tragic killing of school children and their teachers in Peshawar. Terrorism is today an industry of evil. It is not just a threat to peace and security but an attack on humanity as a whole and civilization as we understand."

Mukherjee said India is one of the oldest victims of terrorism.

"There is no good terrorism or bad terrorism. Terrorism respects no religion, ideology or nation. It is no longer a debating issue. The international community must assert itself and tackle the problem by taking concerted, coordinated and determined action. This great menace and challenge to human values should be faced firmly and squarely through international cooperation. The President called upon India’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners to apply themselves to how this challenge can be addressed and to come up with ideas on how to mobilize the world to take concrete action that will mitigate and end this menace," he said.

The President said last eight months have seen new vigour and dynamism in India’s foreign policy.

President Barak Obama was our honoured guest for Republic Day. The visit was of substantive importance and not just symbolic, he said.

"We also had visits by President Putin of Russia and President Xi Jinping of China recently. We were able to strike a deal in the WTO that enabled progress in trade liberalisation without comprising on our freedom to take measures essential for our food security. The Prime Minister has been personally reaching out to the Indian diaspora," Mukherjee said.