Azernews.Az

BAKU – The newly appointed US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza arrived in Baku with his family members on Sunday evening.

Bryza, who greeted journalists in Azeri, said he was looking forward to his arrival in Azerbaijan.

"My family and I are delighted to be here again. I can’t wait to submit my credentials to President Ilham Aliyev," he said upon arrival.

Bryza regretted the delay in his appointment, but added that it is "better late than never".

The diplomat said he was looking forward to the strengthening of friendship ties between the United States and Azerbaijan.

"As the US ambassador to Azerbaijan, I will do everything I can to further develop the strategic cooperation between the two countries and promote peace and democracy."

Bryza’s appointment, which was welcomed by Baku, had been stalled by several lawmakers for months. It came after two Democratic senators, Barbara Boxer and Robert Menendez, placed a "hold" on a full Senate vote on the nomination in September, claiming Bryza failed to address their concerns about his alleged pro-Azerbaijani bias in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. President Barack Obama on December 29 bypassed the usual Senate confirmation process to appoint four new envoys whose nominations had been held up, including Matthew Bryza. So-called recess appointments are temporary, lasting only until the end of the next session of Congress, which is due in November or December.

Bryza served as deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and co-chaired the OSCE Minsk Group, which is brokering talks on settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.