US Ambassador Sergio Gor calls Jammu and Kashmir important part of India after meeting Omar Abdullah

By Deepak Arora

SRINAGAR, Aug 19: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” after meeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.

Ambassador Gor, who arrived in Srinagar as part of his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since assuming office, held discussions with Omar Abdullah on India-US relations and areas where Washington could engage with the Union Territory.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Ambassador said the discussions were “very good” and indicated that the United States would look at ways to deepen engagement with Jammu and Kashmir. He also praised the improving security situation in the region.

A key issue emerging from the visit was the US travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir. Ambassador Gor said Washington would review the existing advisory and indicated that it could be downgraded in view of improvements in security.

He said the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government had taken significant steps to make the region safer, adding that the United States would examine whether its current travel warning should be revised.

The Ambassador also highlighted Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism potential, saying he believed many Americans would be interested in visiting the region.

Abdullah, meanwhile, said the meeting focused on India-US relations, with particular emphasis on what the United States could do in areas such as tourism, horticulture and the emerging economy.

“There are obviously certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve,” Omar Abdullah said, while expressing optimism that engagement between Jammu and Kashmir and the United States could widen and deepen.

The meeting came after Abdullah made it clear earlier in the day that he would not seek Washington’s intervention in matters concerning Jammu and Kashmir. He said the region’s problems had to be addressed by the Indian government and not by a foreign government.

Ambassador Gor is also scheduled to visit Ladakh on August 20 as part of his two-day J&K/Ladakh trip.