Azernews.Az

President Barack Obama is to nominate the candidacy of secretary of state`s special envoy for Eurasian energy Richard Morningstar for the post of US ambassador to Azerbaijan, which has been vacant since the end of 2011, the US embassy in Baku said.

US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote on his Twitter blog that Morningstar was ``an excellent choice``.

Morningstar, a 67-year-old career diplomat, is considered one of the architects of the US energy policy on Azerbaijan.

He would replace Mathew Bryza, who left the post in January after serving about a year as a special appointment of President Obama.

Bryza`s nomination was never confirmed by the U.S. Senate due to opposition by Armenian-American lobbying groups and several senators, who accused Bryza of having a pro-Azerbaijani bias and questionable ties to Azerbaijani officials.

The Azerbaijani government has welcomed the White House`s choice for an ambassador`s appointment.

``Richard Morningstar is well-informed about Azerbaijan as well as the [whole] South Caucasus and Caspian Sea basin,`` Ali Hasanov, head of the Presidential Administration`s department for social and political issues, told Media Forum website. ``He is quite an experienced diplomat who is well-versed on politics, US energy policy in Azerbaijan, and the world`s energy interests here…If he is appointed, we will welcome him here.``

As for Baku`s expectations from the new US ambassador, Hasanov said that new ambassadors and other diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan should be unbiased.

``Ambassadors should not deal with issues aimed at deterioration of bilateral relations,`` he said. ``Lately, [the attitudes of] some foreign countries` diplomatic missions have been regretful, because sometimes diplomats fall under the influence of subjective judgments and convey biased and incomplete information [about Azerbaijan] to their countries. Therefore, the new ambassador should make every effort to develop relations between Azerbaijan and the U.S.``

Rasim Musabayov, an Azerbaijani political analyst, says Morningstar is a suitable candidate for the ambassadorial post and does not believe the Armenian lobby will be able to impede his congressional approval as was the case with Bryza.

``I think, he is a very good candidate,`` the analyst said. ``He is just rather of an older age. But he is a very experienced and influential person. And he knows Azerbaijan very well. He is well-versed on the oil policy as well. He has been directly dealing with the region for 10 to 15 years. And considering his clout and experience, I don`t predict pro-Armenian senators posing roadblocks [for his approval].``

Musabayov also said Washington`s nominating such an influential diplomat as Morningstar for the post shows the great importance the U.S. attaches to Azerbaijan.

Biography
Richard Morningstar has served as the US Secretary of State`s Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy since April 2009. Prior to the appointment, Morningstar lectured at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and Stanford Law School. He has also taught at Brown University and Boston College Law School. Since October 2001 he has served as a Senior Director with Stonebridge International LLC, an international strategy firm.

From June 1999 to September 2001, he served as United States Ambassador to the European Union. Prior to this, Ambassador Morningstar served as Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy, where he was responsible for assuring maximum coordination within the Executive Branch and with other governments and international organizations to promote US policies on Caspian Basin energy development and transportation. From April 1995 to July 1998, he served as Ambassador and Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Assistance for the New Independent States of the Former Soviet Union where he oversaw all U.S. bilateral assistance and trade investment activities in the NIS. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Senior Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

Ambassador Morningstar also served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Costar Corporation from 1990 to 1993 and as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1981 to 1990. He was an attorney with Peabody and Brown (now Nixon and Peabody) in Boston from 1970 to 1981, where he became a Partner in 1977.

Morningstar served as a Commissioner of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (1989-1993). Until his appointment, he served as Director of the American Councils for International Education, a Trustee of the Kosovo-America Educational Foundation, and a Trustee of the Eurasia Foundation. He is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Morningstar is the author of numerous articles on foreign policy, including ``The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: A Retrospective and a Look at the Future``.

Morningstar was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1945. He received his B.A. from Harvard in 1967 and J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1970.