Matthew Bryza's appointment promises much

The complex relations between the USA and Azerbaijan have reached a crucial moment. After almost a year with no American ambassador in Baku, President Obama plans to nominate the deputy assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, Matthew Bryza. Bryza's nomination should secure Senate agreement in the very near future. As a career diplomat with 22 years service in the State Department, he is well acquainted with the political elite of Azerbaijan. Until August 2009 he was a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial conflict settlement. He held the post of director in charge of European and Eurasian affairs on the US Council for Homeland Security, and was the special aide to the president and State Secretary on issues of energy diplomacy in the Caspian. In the past he has coordinated US efforts to stabilise the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts.
Bryza has excellent personal contacts with many of the authorities in Azerbaijan, which will surely make dialogue between Washington and Baku easier.

There is no doubt that the USA needs a new strategic dialogue with Azerbaijan. The waning of the Obama administration's interest in the South Caucasus, in part in Azerbaijan, had caused a wave of irritation among the ruling political elite of the country. in recent times, Azerbaijan has been steering a balanced course in foreign affairs, becoming a reliable partner of both Russia and the West. Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the 'war on terror' and throw its weight behind the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Baku authorities have more than once expressed readiness to take part in the 'Nabucco' energy project, which was lobbied for by the USA, and was conceived to provide Europe with energy independence from Russia. 

However, with the change of White House administrations, American policy came into conflict with Azeri interests. The Obama administration attempted to divide Turkey and Azerbaijan on the question of Nagorno-Karabakh, insisting on no links being made between the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement process and a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This had to affect Bakes' relations towards
Washington. The vector of American-Azeri relations may now be about to change, thanks to the enormous political experience and personal qualities of Bryza.

Firstly, Bryza is not neutral, but a holder of a pro-Azerbaijani position on the questions of 'genocide' of Armenians and Nagorno-Karabakh. it is no coincidence that the Armenian National Committee of America organised an on-line campaign, in which they called on senators to thoroughly study Bryza's past and current positions on the 'genocide', the blockade of Armenia from the Azeri and Turkish sides, Nagorno-Karabakh independence and other matters. Secondly, Bryza has well-developed geopolitical acumen and is ready to take non-standard actions and compromises. Having worked in the US embassy in Russia, Bryza can correctly evaluate the current state of affairs in the region, and will do much to unite the efforts of Moscow and Washington to strengthen stability there. The main thing is that he can smooth the rough corners in relations between Baku and Washington thanks to his personal relations with representatives of the Azerbaijani authorities, several of whom even attended his wedding to a Turkish political observer, Zeyno Baran, who currently works in the US. At the same time, he won't particularly meddle in the internal affairs of the state, well knowing that it isn't worth thrusting the standards of his country on a young state. it is very significant that Bryza, being well-informed about the progress of the Karabakh settlement, can bring his weight to bear on the process. We can only hope that Bryza really will make every effort to bring the process already started by the Minsk Group to an end as US Ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Elmira Tariverdieva, Baku. Specially for VK