Senators Press Bryza on Pro-Azerbaijan Policy; Conflict of Interest
ASBAREZ
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Senator Menendez questions Ambassador-designate Bryza.
WASHINGTON – Matthew Bryza, President Obama’s nominee to serve as U.S.
Ambassador to Azerbaijan, raised more questions than he answered
during a tense appearance yesterday before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).
The hearing, chaired by Senator Jean Shaheen (D-NH), featured thorough
lines of questioning from Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Robert
Menendez (D-NJ) about Mr. Bryza’s diplomatic track record, and a
specific inquiry from the chairwoman herself regarding a Washington
Times report on potential conflict of interest with his wife’s
professional advocacy for U.S. policy impacting the Caspian region
while she worked for an institute that has received money from
Azerbaijani, Turkish, and energy corporate interests.
The questions addressed to Bryza reflected concerns that his actions
reflect a tilt toward Azerbaijani over Armenian positions, and that
the perception that he has not been even-handed would hinder his
ability to effectively advance U.S. interests and American values in
the region. Special areas of focus included his close ties into
oil-rich and corrupt Azerbaijani officials, potential conflict of
interest issues, his silence in the face of Baku’s threats of war, and
his slow and weak response to the Azerbaijani military’s videotaped
destruction, in 2005, of a 1,300-year old Armenian cemetery in Djulfa.
The Bryza nomination is opposed by the ANCA and other Armenian
American groups and energetically backed by Azerbaijani American
organizations.
Senator Boxer opened her line of questioning by asking why the U.S.
State Department had not offered to clear condemnation of Azerbaijan’s
recent attack against Nagorno Karabakh defense positions. Bryza
responded that `what transpired that day remains not entirely clear to
us but we do know that there were several people who were killed.
There was an Azerbaijani movement across the line of contact, Armenia
responded, resulting in deaths.’ It was the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Army that responded to the attack and not Armenia as Bryza incorrectly
characterized and failed to condemn Azerbaijan’s aggression, a point
noted by Senator Boxer.
`I agree with you, and that is why I was looking for a more forceful
answer in the condemnation of Azerbaijan and that is why I would like
to re-ask this question: In your opinion, is the government of
Azerbaijan actively trying to escalate the conflict with Armenia?,’
said Boxer.
Bryza again responded in generalities, saying: `The administration
believes that the government of Azerbaijan is committed to the Minsk
Group process, which is to create this peaceful settlement. And if
confirmed, what I would do would be to continue to reiterate to
President Aliyev and his team, again, there is no military solution
and to urge them to remain committed to the Minsk Group process.’
Senator Menendez followed up, asking, `I’ve heard your comments that
there’s no military solution, but by the same token, sometimes I think
we need to be stronger than that even with our friends. Can you
respond to that?’ Bryza responded: `Absolutely, and I couldn’t agree
with you more in raising these concerns and in response to your
question, I absolutely do understand why people would worry in this
way,’ but once again fell short of explicitly condemning the most
recent Azerbaijani attacks on Nagorno Karabakh.
Both Senators Boxer and Menendez expressed concern about Bryza’s long
silence in the face of the government of Azerbaijan’s destruction of
the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa. Bryza, three months after this act
of desecration, eventually called the destruction `a tragedy’. When
pressed by Senators to about his delayed response, he blamed the
quality of the video footage stating it `was very foggy, it’s grainy’
then noted that he had privately expressed concern to the Azerbaijani
leadership on this matter. Both Senators noted that the first
documented public statement from Bryza came in response to Armenian
press inquiries months later, and asked for documentation of other
statements made in the interim.
In response to Chairwoman Shaheen’s reference to the Washington Times
article regarding conflict of interest, Bryza explained that: `Zeyno
has undertaken a pledge to refrain from bringing any issue related to
the Hudson Institute before the Bureau of European and Eurasian
Affairs at the State Department or before the Embassy of the United
States in Baku if I am confirmed. And I, of course, would maintain
the highest ethical standards as I have throughout my career and would
not take up any issue related to the Hudson Institute, without proper
authorization of course, if there is some reason for doing that, but I
would have to be authorized from Washington.’
`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,’ said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. `Yesterday’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 Karabagh, and including, of
course, his unwillingness to forcefully confront Baku’s video-taped
destruction of the Djulfa Armenian cemetery. In terms of addressing
conflict of interest issues, his responses also fell short. His
announcement that his wife, who professionally advocates on Caspian
energy policy and works at the Hudson Institute, whose supporters
include Azerbaijani, Turkish, and energy corporate interests, has now
pledged to steer clear of State Department policymakers dealing with
Azerbaijan is too little, too late, coming, as it does, ten years into
his service in a series of senior and sensitive posts dealing directly
with Baku and the Caspian energy industry.’
`We want to share our special appreciation with Senators Boxer and
Menendez for their continued leadership in ensuring that the Senate
approves a diplomat to Baku who can most effectively advance U.S.
interests and American values in the Caucasus region, and offer thanks
to Chairwoman Shaheen for raising relevant concerns regarding a
possible conflict of interest,’ concluded Hamparian.
From: A. Papazian