US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday (August 19) hinted that Washington could consider downgrading its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir, saying the Union Territory is an 'important part of India' and that the region has become safer. Gor, who arrived in Srinagar earlier in the day for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, made the remarks after meeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
US will reconsider its advisories on travel to J-K: Ambassador Gor
The US envoy said Washington periodically reviews its travel advisories and would assess whether the existing advisory for Jammu and Kashmir should be downgraded. "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 that we are going to look at," Gor said.
He noted that the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government had taken significant steps to improve security in the region.
"New Delhi, the chief minister here, and the government here, we believe, have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer and making it more safe. 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.
Calling Jammu and Kashmir a 'beautiful area,' Gor said he believed many Americans would enjoy visiting the region and experiencing its beauty and opportunities.
'Jammu and Kashmir is an important part of India': US envoy
Meanwhile, Gor said he was visiting Jammu and Kashmir for the first time and described it as an 'important part of India.'
"It's a pleasure to be here. This is an important part of India. I am here, visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place. I am thrilled to be here, thrilled to see this place. We just had a very good meeting. We have some follow-ups, so we hope to take them back to Washington, back to Delhi. But a very warm, a very cordial one, and we look forward to building this relationship forward," the US envoy said.
Talking about his meeting with the ambassador, CM Abdullah said they discussed India-US relations, with a specific focus on what Washington can do with Jammu and Kashmir. "It was a very good meeting. We had an opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries but with a specific focus on what the US can do with Jammu and Kashmir," the CM said.
Abdullah described the meeting as 'very good' and said there were certain 'legacy issues' that would need to be addressed over time. "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.
He added that discussions would continue between Gor and officials in Washington and Delhi, as well as between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre. "We are very hopeful and optimistic that the engagement between the US and Jammu and Kashmir will both widen and deepen in the years ahead," he added.
J-K's issues only for Centre to resolve: Omar Abdullah
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister said he will discuss the situation in the region with the US ambassador but ruled out raising internal issues with Washington's representative. "It is after a very long time that a US ambassador is visiting Jammu and Kashmir. For me personally, it has been a long time since I met any American ambassador. Let him come; we will sit and talk," Abdullah told reporters here," the CM told reporters.
The chief minister, however, said he would prefer to listen more to the ambassador even as "he (Gor) is also coming to listen". "Let's see what kind of conversation takes place when he comes to meet this afternoon," he added, as reported by PTI. Abdullah said the issues facing Jammu and Kashmir have nothing to do with the US, as the resolution to the issues of the Union Territory will not come from Washington but from the central government.
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