US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Saturday visited the picturesque Loktak Lake in Manipur’s Bishnupur district and took a boat ride during his two-day visit to the northeastern state.
Gor, accompanied by US Consul General in Kolkata Kathy Giles-Diaz, arrived in Imphal on Friday and held separate meetings with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
“US envoy Sergio Gor visited Loktak Lake and took a boat ride there,” an official said.
Following his meeting with Governor Bhalla on Friday, Gor said the two sides discussed the importance of continued engagement between the United States and India.
He also held discussions with Chief Minister Khemchand Singh on Manipur’s development vision and ways to expand economic ties between the US and India. Gor said the Chief Minister had invited him to return to the state for the Manipur Sangai Festival.
Khemchand Singh, meanwhile, described the meeting as an opportunity to discuss relations between the United States and Manipur. He expressed confidence that engagement between the US and Manipur would strengthen in the coming years.
Gor’s visit to Loktak Lake came a day after his meetings with the Governor and Chief Minister in Imphal. On Friday, he also visited Kangla Fort, the historic seat of the erstwhile Manipur kingdom, and Khwairamband Keithel, the iconic women-run market in the state capital.
The Manipur visit followed Gor’s recent trip to Darjeeling, where he met Rajya Sabha MP, former Foreign Secretary and former Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla. During his Darjeeling visit, Gor toured the historic Makaibari Tea Estate, interacted with local youth and students, walked along Mall Road and travelled on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Earlier, the US envoy had also met Indian mixed martial artist Puja Tomar and praised her journey in the sport. He highlighted her achievement as the first Indian woman to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the first Indian fighter to win a UFC bout, describing sports as a means of connecting people and inspiring the next generation.
