New US envoy to arrive in Azerbaijan late August
New US ambassador Richard Morningstar is due to leave for Azerbaijan after August 25, Morningstar said at a private event in the U.S.-Azerbaijan chamber of commerce USACC's office in Georgetown.
Morningstar spoke about energy security and cooperation in the Caspian region. He said that the Southern Energy Corridor plays a vital role for Azerbaijan in terms of energy diversification.
He also stressed the importance of settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Prior to his nomination as ambassador to Azerbaijan by President Barack Obama in May, Morningstar served as US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy.
Two dozen USACC members, US and Azerbaijani officials attended the event.
The United States has not had an ambassador in Baku since the departure of Matthew Bryza in January 2012. Bryza, a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary appointed by President Obama bypass the Senate under a so-called recess appointment, had to end his one-year diplomatic mission after his final approval in the Senate was blocked by several pro-Armenian senators claiming his bias toward Azerbaijan.