Srinagar, Aug 19: The United States will reconsider its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor saying the Centre and the Union Territory government have taken steps to make the region safer. Speaking at a joint media briefing with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Wednesday, Gor described J&K as “an important part of India” and said its improved security situation could prompt Washington to review its travel warning.

“J&K is an important part of India and it's an incredibly beautiful place and I am thrilled to be here and see this place,” Gor said after meeting Abdullah. He said the United States periodically reviews its travel advisories and indicated that the warning applicable to J&K could be reconsidered.

“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,” Gor said.

Gor said Washington would assess whether the existing travel warning should be downgraded, pointing to the region’s tourism potential and natural beauty. “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,” he said. Focus on India-US ties, J&K Gor arrived in Srinagar earlier on Wednesday as part of a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

He called on Abdullah at the Chief Minister’s residence soon after his arrival. Following the meeting, Gor described the interaction as warm and cordial and said the two sides had identified follow-up issues that would be taken up in Washington and New Delhi.

“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,” he said. Abdullah said discussions covered India-US relations, with particular emphasis on what Washington could do to deepen engagement 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,” Abdullah said.