Panaji, Oct 30 (IANS): Brazil is the bridge leading to Latin America, the final frontier for Indian diplomacy, says former Indian ambassador to Brazil Amitava Tripathi.

"I regard Latin America as the final frontier of Indian diplomacy and that Brazil is the bridge leading to it...Now we realise that it (Latin America) is far too important an area to neglect," Tripathi told IANS Saturday.

India's ties with the Latin American giant ranged across the spectrum, from beef cattle to fossil fuel processing, he stated on the sidelines of a three-day conference on India-Brazil dialogue organised by the Goa University and the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA).

There was still immense scope as far as promotion of trade ties is concerned, added Tripathi, who is one of the resource persons for the conference.

"Trade (between India and Brazil) has really taken off from the few million dollars at the beginning of this century to over $7.7 billion now. We are now targeting 10 billion," Tripathi said, adding that the election of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as Brazil's president in 2003 had resulted in multiple increase in trade and cooperation between the two countries.

"Brazil, apart from being the largest country of Latin America, is also one of our largest trade and investment partners in the region," ICWA Deputy Director General Sarvajit Chakravarti said.