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USA nominated Matthew Bryza as U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan

26 May 2010 01:17 (UTC +04:00)

According to APAâ€™s Washington correspondent, the president Obamaâ€™s announcement says.

â€œMatthew J. Bryza is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairsâ€.

Matthew J. Bryza joined the US Foreign Service in August, 1988. His last position was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in 2005-2009. In this capacity, he is responsible for policy oversight and management of U.S. relations with countries in the Caucasus and Southern Europe. He also leads U.S. efforts to advance peaceful settlements of the separatist conflicts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, and works with the Special Negotiator for Eurasian Conflicts to advance a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Additionally, Bryza coordinates U.S. energy policy in the regions surrounding the Black and Caspian Seas. He also works with European countries on issues of tolerance, social integration, and Islam.
In April 2001, Bryza joined the National Security Council as Director for Europe and Eurasia, with responsibility for coordinating U.S. policy on Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Caspian energy.
Bryza served as the deputy to the Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy from July 1998 to March 2001. In this capacity, Bryza coordinated the U.S. Governmentâ€™s inter-agency effort to develop a network of oil and gas pipelines in the Caspian region.
During 1997-1998, Bryza was special advisor to Ambassador Richard Morningstar, coordinating U.S. Government assistance programs on economic reform in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Bryza served at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow during 1995-1997, first as special assistant to Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, then as a political officer covering the Russian Duma, the Communist Party, and the Republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus.
He worked on European and Russian affairs at the State Department during 1991-1995.
Bryza served in Poland in 1989-1991 at the U.S. Consulate in PoznaÅ„ and the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, where he covered the Solidarity movement, reform of Polandâ€™s security services, and regional politics.
Bryza graduated from Stanford University with a bachelorâ€™s degree in international relations. He received his masterâ€™s degree in the same field from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is fluent in Russian and Polish, and also speaks German and Spanish.
On August 23, 2007, he married Turkish-born foreign policy analyst Zeyno Baran in Istanbul, Turkey.
In June 2009 it was reported that Daniel Fried suggested to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that Bryza be appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan.
In August of 2009, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlining the concerns of the Armenian American community regarding what he called the recent "biased remarks by Matt Bryza", the U.S. Co-Chair to the OSCE Minsk Group charged with helping to negotiate a settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.
United States has been represented in Baku only at the Charge dâ€™affaires level now for over nine months.
Previous US ambassadors to Azerbaijan:
Anne E. Derse (July, 2006 - July 4, 2009),
Reno L. Harnish (December 1, 2003 - April 24, 2006),
Ross L. Wilson (October 11, 2000-April 24, 2003),
Stanley T. Escudero (December 4, 1997 - October 1, 2000),
Richard Kauzlarich (April 20, 1994 - July 20, 1997)
Richard Miles (September 16, 1992 - November 5, 1993)
Robert Finn (1992 ChargÃ© dâ€™Affaires ad interim)

The United States recognized Azerbaijanâ€™s independence on Dec 25, 1991, and announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on February 19, 1992.