Srinagar: During his first visit to the Union territory, United States India Ambassador Sergio Gor today (August 19) pointed to a possibility of Washington reviewing its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir, citing “improvements in the security situation”.Speaking to reporters briefly following his meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Gor said the US would consider whether its travel warning for the region should be downgraded, and described Kashmir as “an important part of India”. He said that Americans would enjoy visiting the region.“I cannot make any big announcement [on a revision of the travel advisory],” Gor told reporters outside Abdullah’s residence in Gupkar, Srinagar.“New Delhi, the chief minister here, the government here, we believe, have made some incredible steps toward keeping this area safer and making it more secure,” he said.“And so we will be looking at whether the travel warning that is recommended by the United States is something that should be downgraded,” Gor added.“This is a beautiful area. I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty,” he said.Earlier in the day, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had urged Gor to withdraw the US travel advisory, saying it was hurting an economy in which thousands of families depend on tourism.“For Kashmir, where thousands of families depend on tourism, the travel advisory on Kashmir is more than a warning; it is a wall between Kashmir and the world,” Mufti said in a post on X.“Lifting it would send a powerful message of confidence, help bring back international tourists and give much-needed relief to countless families whose livelihoods depend on tourism,” she added.The least the US Ambassador Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia can do is review and withdraw the highest level travel advisory against visiting Kashmir.For Kashmir, where thousands of families depend on tourism, the travel advisory on Kashmir is more than a warning , it is a wall…— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 19, 2026Mufti urged the US ambassador to at least review and withdraw what she described as the highest-level travel advisory against visiting Kashmir.‘Kashmir important part of India’Gor, who is also US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, made his comments after his meeting with Abdullah.“Kashmir is an important part of India. I am visiting the place for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place,” Gor told reporters in Srinagar.“We had a very warm meeting and we look forward to building on our relationship,” he added, with Abdullah standing alongside him.The visit is Gor’s first to Kashmir since Operation Sindoor last year and comes amid heightened strategic developments in the region.His remarks on the travel advisory are particularly significant to Jammu and Kashmir’s efforts to expand its international tourism footprint and attract visitors from the United States and other Western countries.The meeting was also attended by Ian Michael Dick, an official from the US Embassy in New Delhi, Gary Applegarth, First Secretary at the US Embassy, Lisa Grace Alkins, a US Embassy official, Hemant Joshi, another embassy official, and Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leaders Nasir Aslam Wani, Tanvir Sadiq and Sakeena Itoo.CM Omar Abdullah speaking with press. Photo: Junaid Dar‘Kashmir’s problems must be resolved by New Delhi’Before meeting Gor, Abdullah said he would not raise the issues Jammu and Kashmir faces to the US envoy and stressed that the solution of internal issues rested with the Government of India.“The solution to our problems will not come from Washington. Our problems have to be resolved by our central government,” Abdullah said.After the meeting, Abdullah said the two sides had discussed India-US relations, with a specific focus on what Washington could do for Jammu and Kashmir.“It was, as Ambassador Gor has said, 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,” Abdullah said.“There are obviously certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve, but we look forward to taking this conversation further,” he added.Abdullah said the engagement would involve both Gor and Washington and his own discussions with the Government of India in New Delhi.“This is a conversation that will take place both between Ambassador Gor and Washington and between me and the Government of India in New Delhi,” he said.“We are very hopeful and optimistic that the engagement between the United States of America and Jammu and Kashmir will both widen and deepen in the years ahead,” Abdullah added.Economic cooperation also discussedGor said his meeting with Abdullah also focused on economic cooperation.“Appreciated the opportunity to meet with Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah and to learn more about his priorities,” he posted on X after the meeting.“We discussed ways to deepen economic collaboration and create opportunities that would mutually benefit both of our nations,” he said.