Azernews.Az

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A former top State Department official has voiced hope that Matthew Bryza will be approved as the country’s ambassador to Azerbaijan soon.

David Kramer, a former US assistant secretary of state and senior analyst at the German Marshall Fund, told Mediamax news agency that he hopes President Barack Obama’s nomination will be endorsed by the Committee on Foreign Relations and further by the full Senate following the break in the US Senate.

Kramer said further that he maintains friendship ties with Bryza. He said Bryza is well-prepared for the ambassadorial job and "will be an excellent ambassador".

"He knows all the key players both inside and outside the government of Azerbaijan. He will decisively and skilfully represent America’s interests and will not sidestep complicated issues, including democratic development and human rights in Azerbaijan," Kramer said.

"Laborious US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch is working in Yerevan, and full-fledged American presence in Azerbaijan is crucial for Azerbaijan, Armenia and the whole region. I hope that Matthew Bryza will be approved as soon as possible."

The ambassador’s post has been vacant since July 2009. In May President Obama nominated Bryza, who was one of the most visible US officials in the Caucasus region during the Bush administration, serving as deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. He was also the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks to broker a settlement to the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Early in August a US Senate panel postponed a hearing on President Obama’s nomination. The vote is due in the Committee on Foreign Relations following the August break, based on the proposal of Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California.