Bishnupur (Manipur) [India], September 12 (ANI): US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Saturday visited the picturesque Loktak Lake in Manipur's Bishnupur district and enjoyed a boat ride during his visit to the northeastern state.
Gor's visit to Loktak Lake came a day after he met Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal, where he discussed strengthening engagement and expanding economic ties between the United States and India.
Sharing details of his meeting with the Chief Minister, Gor said he enjoyed hearing about Khemchand Singh's vision for Manipur and exchanged ideas on how the two countries could work together to expand economic ties.
"Enjoyed hearing from Chief Minister @YKhemchandSingh about his vision for Manipur. We exchanged ideas about how the U.S. and India can work together to expand economic ties. The Chief Minister very kindly invited me back for the Manipur Sangai Festival," Gor said in a post on X.
Gor also met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and discussed the importance of continued engagement between India and the United States.
"Appreciated the opportunity to meet Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla @BhallaAjay26. We discussed the importance of continued U.S.-India engagement," he said in another post.
Khemchand Singh, meanwhile, said he had discussed relations between the United States and Manipur with the US envoy.
"It was a pleasure to meet the Ambassador of United States to India, Mr. Sergio Gor, at my Secretariat today. We had the opportunity to discuss relations between the US and Manipur. I am confident that the engagement between the US and Manipur (India) will strengthen in the years to come," the Chief Minister said.
He added that Gor was accompanied by US Consul General in Kolkata Kathy Giles-Diaz.
The meetings in Manipur followed Gor's recent visit to Darjeeling after an invitation from Rajya Sabha MP, former Foreign Secretary and former Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
During his Darjeeling visit, Gor met Shringla, visited the historic Makaibari Tea Estate, walked along Mall Road, interacted with local youth and students and travelled on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed railway.
The US envoy had earlier met Indian mixed martial artist Puja Tomar and praised her journey, describing sports as a means of connecting people and inspiring the next generation.
Gor highlighted Tomar's achievement as the first Indian woman to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the first Indian fighter to win a UFC bout. (ANI)
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor visits Loktak Lake in Manipur, enjoys boat ride
