By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday called Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” and indicated that Washington was open to re-evaluate the travel advisory against its citizens visiting Kashmir, media reported.
Omar Abdullah said they had a “very good conversation” about the possibilities that exist to widen and deepen the engagement between J&K and the US.
Gor said “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 back to Washington, back to Delhi. But a very warm, a very cordial and we look forward to building this relationship forward.”
It was the first visit by the top US diplomat to Kashmir.
Gor serves as US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia.
His visit is being looked upon as a major US diplomatic engagement in recent years after heightened strategic developments in the region
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was “very good” meeting with Sergio Gor that they had the opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries “but with specific focus on what the US can do with J&K.”
“There are obviously certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve but we look forward to taking this conversation further. This is a conversation that will take place both between Ambassador Gor and Washington, and between me and the Govt of India in New Delhi. But we are very hopeful and optimistic that the engagement between the US and J&K will both widen and deepen in the years ahead,” he added.
US diplomats have visited the region in the past, which includes the political engagements ahead of the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
Gor wrote on X after meeting the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister “Appreciated the opportunity to meet with Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah and to learn more about his priorities. We discussed ways to deepen economic collaboration and create opportunities that would mutually benefit both of our nations”.
Omar Abdullah wrote on the social media platform, “It was a pleasure to receive @USAmbIndia Sergio Gor in Srinagar today. We had a very good conversation about the possibilities that exist to widen & deepen the engagement between J&K & the United States of America, particularly in areas like tourism, horticulture & the new economy. I look forward to continuing this engagement & taking our conversation forward.”
