Srinagar, Aug 19: United States Ambassador to India Sergio Gor made his first visit to Kashmir on Wednesday, describing the valley as “incredibly beautiful” and indicating that Washington could review its travel advisory for the region that has for years kept American tourists away.
“We just had a very good meeting, and we have some follow-ups that we hope to take back to Washington, back to Delhi,” Gor told reporters after his meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “I’m very warm, I’m very cordial, and we look forward to building this relationship forward.”
The Ambassador’s remarks on the travel advisory were significant. The US State Department currently advises American citizens against all travel to Jammu and Kashmir, a Level 4 advisory that has been in place for years. Gor said a review was on the cards.
“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.
Acknowledging the improved security situation, he added “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… is something that should be downgraded.”
The Ambassador, who is also scheduled to meet Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, said the valley’s beauty and opportunities deserved to be seen by more Americans. “I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty and opportunities that exist here,” he said.
The visit is being watched closely as the first by a serving US Ambassador to Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, and comes at a time when New Delhi has been projecting normalcy in the Union Territory. Gor is set to proceed to Ladakh on Thursday.
Comments are closed.