Aligarh, March 11. (PTI): Aiming to create a "new paradigm" for its neighbourhood, India on Saturday advocated the need for "open mindedness" rather than "traditional mindsets" among South Asian countries and said it was ready to work with neighbours for a better future for the region.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee favoured modernisation of infrastructure in the Indian sub-continent to promote freer flows of goods and services that can transform the entire region.

India, as the largest country in South Asia with land and sea borders with all members of SAARC countries, has to assume "greater responsibility for the region's challenges", he said addressing the 57th annual convocation at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here.

"The major goal for Indian foreign policy is to create a new paradigm for our neighbourhood," he said.

Noting that India has to pay particular attention to its relations with all neighbours and create a mutually-beneficial framework", he said "The strength and growth of our region and its prosperity is a necessary pre-requisite for India's own rise as a major power".

He emphasised that India's neighbours "can and should share in our drive" for prosperity.

"In more ways than simply economic, the future of the Indian sub-continent depends on whether open mindedness prevails over the more traditional mindsets," Mukherjee said.

"On its part, India has indicated its willingness to cooperate with all its neighbours and to work with them for a better future," the External Affairs Minister said.

The day in pictures