Azernews.Az

BAKU – US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton consider as pivotal the United States’ relations with Azerbaijan, the newly appointed US Ambassador in Baku Matthew Bryza has said.

"The way President Obama appointed me shows how important he views relations between the United States and Azerbaijan to be," Bryza told a news briefing after submitting his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday.

President Obama on December 29 bypassed the usual Senate confirmation process to appoint four new envoys whose nominations had been held up, including Matthew Bryza. But the so-called recess appointment is temporary, lasting only until the Congressional session ends in late 2011.

Bryza said he would do everything in his power to expand bilateral relations during his tenure.

He said further that the U.S. and Azerbaijan share strategic interests, with a focus on issues including energy security, democratic reform and regional stability.

Bryza welcomed the Azerbaijani government’s efforts to fight corruption, saying the U.S. was ready to assist these reforms.

Comparing Azerbaijan to Middle East countries, particularly Egypt, he said that democratic reforms will allow Azerbaijan to become "an exemplary state".

On the energy cooperation, the diplomat noted, countries and companies saw a "serious" stage in the talks on the so-called Southern Corridor gas project. He pointed out that the project would help diversify natural gas supplies to Europe and bring resource-rich Azerbaijan and Europe closer. Bryza said the US administration is keen on supporting the project.

Bryza's appointment, which had been stalled by lawmakers for months, came after two Democratic senators, Barbara Boxer and Robert Menendez, placed a "hold" on a full Senate vote on the nomination in September. They claimed the White House nominee had failed to address their concerns about his alleged pro-Azerbaijani bias in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.