Stressing the 'integral link of India's foreign policy with domestic policies, particularly economic policy', Manmohan Singh said the the country's foreign policy should address the challenges of mass poverty, ignorance and disease.

The prime minister also expressed optimism that despite the global economic slowdown, the Indian economy was still the second fastest growing economy in the world.

He stressed that all-out efforts were needed to put the economy back on a sustained high rate of growth if the challenges of poverty and disease were to be effectively addressed, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.