The Hindu :
A 24-member high-level delegation, including envoys and Ambassadors of the European Union (EU) and other foreign countries, arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday morning to assess the ground situation by meeting local civil society groups, elected representatives, political leaders and students.
EU Ambassador Ugo Astuto is leading the delegation. It is the third visit of the EU envoys to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of special status of J&K in August, 2019.
Unlike the past, the delegation will visit places outside Srinagar and interact with students at a government college in Magam area of central Kashmir’s Budgam.
A series of meetings of the civil society groups, elected representatives and local editors is listed with the envoys at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre located on the banks of the Dal lake.
Officials said a number of recently-elected members of the District Development Council will also meet them.
However, no senior regional party leader is meeting the visiting envoys. Sources said the BJP and the Apni Party leaders may meet them.
The delegation is likely to address the press around 7 p.m.
The envoys have come from Chile, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, EU, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Bangladesh, Malawi, Eritrea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan
The visit is the third official one by foreign diplomats of to Jammu and Kashmir since the government’s decision to amend Article 370 and divide the State into two Union Territories (Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh) on August 5, 2019.
