J&K important part of India; US Ambassador Gor
Srinagar, August 19; The United States Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor on Wednesday described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” and also dropped enough hints of US down-grading it’s travel advisory on J&K for its citizens.
On a two-day visit to J&K and Ladakh, Gor called on chief minister Omar Abdullah. Political observers see Gor’s statement and his meeting with the chief minister Omar Abdullah as a significant development in Indo-US ties.
“Kashmir is an important part of India. I am visiting the place for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place,” Gor said after his meeting with Abdullah.
“We had a very warm meeting and we look forward to building on our relationship,” Gor told mediapersons with Omar Abdullah standing by his side.
This is the first visit by the top US diplomat, who also serves as President Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, to Kashmir since Operation Sindoor last year.
Following Operation Sindoor in May last year, Gor’s visit is seen as a significant US diplomatic engagement in recent years.
Speaking about the meeting with Gor, Omar Abdullah said that he had the opportunity to discuss US-India relations with a focus on Jammu and Kashmir.
“We had a very good meeting. We had an opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries, but with specific focus on what the US can do with Jammu and Kashmir. There are obviously certain legacy issues that, over time, we will be working to resolve, but we look forward to taking this conversation further,” Abdullah said.
Noting that the conversation will continue between Washington, New Delhi and Srinagar, Abdullah said: “We are very hopeful and optimistic that the engagement between the United States of America and Jammu and Kashmir will both widen and deepen in the years ahead.”
In the backdrop of a constant improvement in the security scenario, Gor said Washington regularly reviews its travel warnings and indicated that the advisory for Jammu and Kashmir could be reconsidered.
Praising the improving security situation in the Valley, Gor said while he cannot make any “big announcement” on the revision of the US advisory to its citizens, the administration may look into it.
“New Delhi, the chief minister here, the government here – we believe – have made some incredible steps toward keeping this area safer and making it more secure. And so we will be looking at whether the travel warning that is recommended by the United States is something that should be downgraded,” he said.
“This is a beautiful area. I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty.”