Asif Malik
Srinagar, Aug 19 : United States Ambassador to India Sergio Gor arrived here on Wednesday on his maiden visit to the Kashmir Valley, describing the region as an “incredibly beautiful place” and indicating that Washington may review its travel advisory for the Union Territory.
“My visit to Kashmir is a wonderful experience. Everybody here knows I’m the US Ambassador to India, and this is an important part of India. I’m here visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and so I’m thrilled to be here,” Gor told reporters after his meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS).
The US Envoy said the discussions with the Chief Minister were “very good” and that there were “follow-ups” that would be taken back to Washington and Delhi.
“We look forward to building this relationship forward,” he said.
Significantly, Gor indicated that the US State Department’s travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir, which currently advises Americans against all travel to the region, could be reviewed.
“The last thing I’ll share with you is the United States puts out travel warnings, and every so often we re-evaluate those travel warnings. I cannot make any big announcements here today, but it is something we’re going to look at,” he said.
The Ambassador acknowledged the efforts of the local administration in improving the security situation.
“The Chief Minister here, the Government here, we believe have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer, and making it more safe, and so we will be looking at if the travel warning that is imposed, that is recommended by the United States, is something that should be downgraded,” he said.
“As I said earlier, this is a beautiful area. I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty and opportunities that exist here,” he said.
Gor is also scheduled to meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha during his stay before proceeding to Ladakh on Thursday. (KNS)
