- US may reconsider travel advisories for Jammu and Kashmir due to safety steps taken
- US Ambassador Sergio Gor visited Srinagar for a two-day trip to J&K and Ladakh
- Gor praised local government efforts in making Jammu and Kashmir safer for visitors
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Wednesday that the US may reconsider its travel advisories for Jammu and Kashmir, as the central government and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have taken steps to make it a safer place.
Gor made the statement after he arrived in Srinagar for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
"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 are going to look at. New Delhi, the chief minister here, the government here, we believe have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer and making it more safe," Gor said during a joint media briefing with Abdullah.
"So, we will be looking at if the travel warning that is imposed and recommended by the United States is something that should be downgraded because, as I said earlier, this is a beautiful area. I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty and the opportunities that exist here," Gor added.
The US has a Level 4, the highest, travel advisory for Americans travelling to Jammu and Kashmir that specifically says “Do not travel”.
Gor is the first top US diplomat to visit Kashmir since Operation Sindoor last year. He called on Abdullah at his residence soon after reaching Srinagar.
"I am thrilled to be here. We just had a very good meeting and we have some follow-ups that we hope to take back to Washington (and) back to Delhi. But a very warm, a very cordial meeting and we look forward to building this relationship forward," said Gor.
Following his meeting with Gor, 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.
