India today said the Latin America and Caribbean region is critical to its ambition to become a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). <br/><br/>Addressing the inaugural Session of the 7th India-LAC Conclave Guadalajara in Mexico, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said New Delhi attaches great importance to its relations with the LAC region. <br/><br/>He said LAC region is significant for India's energy security as it currently accounts for around 18-20 per cent of India's oil imports. <br/><br/>He said India and LAC, home to around 1.8 billion people with a combined gdp of over USD 4 trillion are continuously looking to enhance their multi-faceted engagement.<br/><br/>Mr. Singh added the two sides are exploring possibilities of forging an 'India-Latin America and Caribbean Dialogue Mechanism' similar to that of the 'India-Africa Forum Summit'.<br/><br/>NSG is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is a 48 member nations group, of which Brazil, Argentina and Mexico are existing members.