Appointment of US Ambassador to Azerbaijan delayed

Armenian lobby would not accept Matthew Bryza as US Ambassador to Baku The issue of appointing the ex-assistant of Deputy State Secretary and ex-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza, to the office of US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, discussed at the Senate meeting on October 5th, has been suspended for indefinite period. According to the Armenian National Committee of America, senators Robert Menendels and Barbara Boxer vetoed his candidature.

Mr Bryza went through all necessary procedures to take the post, apart from the Senate vote. The Senator from California, Ms Boxer, who is currently running an election campaign to keep her position for another term, is doing everything to get the support of the Armenian Diaspora in the State. Pro-Armenian Senators secured the issue from any interference: with the Senate veto in action, the President cannot appoint an ambassador in the period between Senate sessions.

Two candidates proposed by the White House - Matthew Bryza for the post of Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Frank Riccardione for the post of Ambassador to Turkey – met serious resistance from the Armenian Diaspora. Such interference is even more surprising as Armenia is currently hostile to Azerbaijan and has had no diplomatic relations with Turkey since 1993.

 The Armenian lobby has considerable influence in the US Senate and plays a big role in the Armenian-Turkish negotiations and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. That is why the President cannot appoint the candidates he thinks fit to these ambassadorial posts. The US aspires to promote its relations with Azerbaijan but the US Embassy in Baku has been empty for almost a year. High-ranking American officials like Robert Gates and Hillary Clinton visit Baku to demonstrate their interest in Azerbaijan, but the Senate seems to be reinforcing Azerbaijan’s cautious attitude towards the USA.

Would Turkey and Azerbaijan have to treat newly-appointed US ambassadors as politically committed pro-Armenian figures? This is a key question, which might influence the whole balance of US relations with the South Caucasian States and Turkey. 

Elmira Tariverdieva, Baku, exclusively to VK.