India's future success depends on being able to secure a regional and global environment that protects its national security, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday.

Outlining the challenges before the country in this respect in his speech at a valedictory function organised for outgoing foreign diplomats at the Foreign Services Institute in New Delhi, he said the foremost priority was countering terrorism.

Observing that the periodic instability in the political fabric of states in India's neighbourhood is a source of great anxiety, Mukherjee said New Delhi has stakes in the political and economic well-being of its neighbours.

Among the other challenges, the big one is to maintain energy security in tune with the pace at which the country's economy is growing.

In a lighter vein, he told young diplomats from over 20 countries that 'being in training can sometimes feel like being back at school with all its regimentation.'    

He said diplomacy today was not limited to diplomats alone, and large global business houses have as much say in diplomatic relations between countries in an era of globalisation.