Leh, Aug 20: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor arrived in Leh on Thursday on his maiden visit Ladakh, marking a significant diplomatic movement by a senior American envoy to the strategically sensitive frontier region following the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Gor reached KushokBakulaRimpochee Airport in Leh in the afternoon after morning flight operations from Srinagar were temporarily disrupted due to adverse weather conditions in the mountainous region.
Soon after his arrival, the envoy was escorted under tight security cover as his motorcade proceeded towards the city.
Gor later travelled to Sangam, the confluence of the Zanskar and Indus rivers, where he participated in a river-rafting activity covering several kilometres, beginning from Tsogti.
He subsequently checked into a local hotel in Leh.
His Ladakh visit comes a day after a series of high-profile engagements in Srinagar, where Gor described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” and indicated that Washington could review its long-standing travel advisories for the region.
His scheduled visit to Leh is the first official visit by a US ambassador to the strategic frontier region of Ladakh since the June 2020 Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and Chinese troops.
During his stay, Gor is expected to meet senior officials of the Ladakh administration, security officials and local stakeholders.
The visit has also drawn attention because Tibetan spiritual leader the 14th Dalai Lama is presently in Leh, where he spends his summers and conducts religious discourses and meets followers.
It was, however, not immediately clear whether the US envoy would meet the Dalai Lama during his visit.
Gor is scheduled to return to New Delhi on August 22.
Sources said Lieutenant Governor of LadakhVinai Kumar Saxena is presently in New Delhi and is expected to return to Ladakh by August 21.
The high-profile visit comes amid growing diplomatic convergence between India and the United States and underscores Washington’s interest in the security and stability of India’s northern frontier.
Security arrangements across Leh have been significantly strengthened during the ambassador’s visit.
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