news.az, Azerbaijan
July 23 2010
Tough Senate hearing for nominated US envoy to Baku
Fri 23 July 2010 | 07:51 GMT Text size:
Matthew Bryza The US president’s nominee as ambassador to Azerbaijan
has faced tough questions during a Senate committee hearing to confirm
his appointment.
Matthew Brzya’s nomination was heard by the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee yesterday.
Armenian-American groups had expressed opposition to Bryza’s
nomination. They say that as deputy assistant secretary of European
and Eurasian affairs and an OSCE mediator on the Karabakh conflict
Matthew Bryza had shown bias towards Azerbaijan.
“Being criticized or being thought of as being closer to one side or
the other is part of the game, and I have to just remain always
objective and deliver the tough messages when necessary,” Bryza told
the committee hearing.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey asked Bryza about a
former US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, who was fired when Bryza
was deputy assistant secretary of state, reportedly for saying that
there was an Armenian genocide. Bryza said he had nothing to do with
the episode: `As hard as it is to believe, I was not part of the
process whatsoever.’
He was pressed by Senator Barbara Boxer of California over why only $2
million of the $8 million allocated by US Congress last year in
assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh had been spent. Bryza said his staff
had assured him that humanitarian funds were being spent “in as
efficient a way as possible” and agreed to provide a “detailed
accounting” of all US assistance to the area.
Both senators represent constituencies with substantial Armenian
American populations.
Robert Menendez was concerned that Bryza prioritized the concept of
territorial integrity over self-determination in the Nagorno-Karabakh
talks process. Bryza said a statement he made to the BBC in 2008 that
“Armenia must agree that Nagorno-Karabakh is legally part of
Azerbaijan” had been incorrectly translated from Russian. He vowed to
respect the concept of self-determination for Nagorno-Karabakh’s
residents if he were confirmed as ambassador to Baku.
“My philosophy when it came to Nagorno-Karabakh was ‘I’m not worth my
weight in anything if I am not taking the hits publicly and trying to
push the leaders out of their comfort zone and trying to encourage
them to take the political risks required for a settlement,'” Bryza
said. “To do that, it required me to say things that made one side or
the other side a bit uncomfortable, in my estimation.”
`There is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh,’
Bryza stated and denied that he had ignored the 2005 destruction of an
ancient Armenian cemetery in Julfa, Azerbaijan.
Bryza denied that his Turkish-born wife, Zeyno Baran’s, role as an
analyst at think-tank the Hudson Institute would present a conflict of
interest.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) remained
unconvinced. In a statement after the hearing, ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian said, `Matt Bryza’s testimony unfortunately raised more
questions than it answered, underscoring our longstanding concern that
he is not the right person to represent the United States in
Azerbaijan.’
`Today’s hearing shed long overdue sunshine on a number of serious
shortcomings in Mr Bryza’s diplomatic activities, starting with his
consistent failure to challenge Azerbaijan’s belligerence, the
dramatic under-spending of Congressional allocations for
Nagorno-Karabakh, and including, of course, his unwillingness to
forcefully confront Baku’s video-taped destruction of the Julfa
Armenian cemetery,” Hamparian said.
Bryza does have support amongst the Senate committee. Co-Chairman
Richard Lugar took the unusual step of presenting his candidacy to the
committee.
He described Bryza as “uniquely qualified” to advance US priorities in
Azerbaijan. “He possesses exceptional knowledge of the region, having
spent the last 13 years working on US foreign policy in Europe and the
Caucasus from both the White House and State Department. I have known
and worked with Matt for much of this period. His personal efforts
have been fundamental to improved relations among nations in the
Caucasus and to improved energy security,” Richard Lugar said.
US interests in Azerbaijan
Matthew Bryza’s testimony to the committee hearing summed up US policy
interests in Azerbaijan, which the nominee described as a very
important partner of the United States.
“If confirmed, I will work to invigorate the US-Azerbaijan partnership
in pursuit of the US’s three sets of strategic interests in
Azerbaijan, notably security, energy and democratic reform.”
He noted Azerbaijan’s role as a transit country for supplies to US
troops. “Azerbaijan continues to provide valuable overflight,
refuelling and landing rights for US and coalition aircraft bound for
Afghanistan. Azerbaijan is also an important partner in the Northern
Distribution Network, allowing the United States to transit non-lethal
goods through its territory en route to Afghanistan. Azerbaijan has
also contributed troops to US and coalition military operations in
Afghanistan, as well as Kosovo and Iraq.
“Even more, Azerbaijan has provided critical cooperation on
counterterrorism, working closely with us on a range of important
initiatives. Azerbaijan has also remained a steadfast supporter of
Israel. The United States and Azerbaijan have worked together to help
prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the
Caspian Sea Basin and beyond. The Nunn-Lugar program is the bedrock of
these collaborative efforts. If confirmed, I will do everything
possible to strengthen this vital initiative.”
On Nagorno-Karabakh, Bryza said, “I also look forward, if confirmed,
to helping advance a peaceful Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. There can
be no military solution to this long-standing conflict; rather,
negotiation and dialogue hold the key to resolving this issue and
bringing peace and stability to the Caucasus region.”
On energy, Bryza said, “Azerbaijan’s energy resources can help
diversify global supplies of oil and gas and catalyze the economic
growth and integration of the entire South Caucasus with global
markets. Thanks to projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, Caspian oil now reaches global markets in a commercially and
environmentally sound way, free from potential cutoffs by monopolists
or geographic choke points. In addition to oil, Azerbaijan is now
becoming a crucial actor in our European allies’ efforts to diversify
their supplies of natural gas. If confirmed, I will continue to
support development of a Southern Corridor of natural gas
infrastructure to link gas reserves in Azerbaijan ` and perhaps
Central Asia ` with markets in Europe.”
Bryza also mentioned the importance of democracy and human rights:
“Sustaining and deepening the partnership described above will require
a stable Azerbaijan. Stability will emerge from invigorated reforms
that expand political participation and economic liberty, combat
corruption and ensure the rule of law is consistent with human rights
observance. During my four years as deputy assistant secretary of
state, I consistently pursued progress on democratic reform, human
rights and fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan in a spirit of
partnership.
“If confirmed, I will continue to encourage the government of
Azerbaijan to move forward on key issues such as media freedom,
freedom of expression, political pluralism, rule of law and civic
participation. I will also continue to support youth exchanges which
represent a significant and lasting investment in the future of
Azerbaijan. Ultimately, if Azerbaijan succeeds in blending
democratization, prosperity, and elements of its own culture, it could
become an example for
transitional countries around the world.”
Matthew Bryza’s nomination remains to be confirmed by a full sitting
of the Senate.
APA, Eurasia.net, Radio Liberty
From: A. Papazian