The US president's nominee as ambassador to Azerbaijan has faced tough questions during a Senate committee hearing to confirm his appointment. Matthew Brzya's nomination was heard by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.
Armenian-American groups had expressed opposition to Bryza's nomination. They say that as deputy assistant secretary of European and Eurasian affairs and an OSCE mediator on the Karabakh conflict Matthew Bryza had shown bias towards Azerbaijan.
"Being criticized or being thought of as being closer to one side or the other is part of the game, and I have to just remain always objective and deliver the tough messages when necessary," Bryza told the committee hearing.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey asked Bryza about a former US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, who was fired when Bryza was deputy assistant secretary of state, reportedly for saying that there was an Armenian genocide. Bryza said he had nothing to do with the episode: “As hard as it is to believe, I was not part of the process whatsoever.”
He was pressed by Senator Barbara Boxer of California over why only $2 million of the $8 million allocated by US Congress last year in assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh had been spent. Bryza said his staff had assured him that humanitarian funds were being spent "in as efficient a way as possible" and agreed to provide a "detailed accounting" of all US assistance to the area.
Both senators represent constituencies with substantial Armenian American populations.
Robert Menendez was concerned that Bryza prioritized the concept of territorial integrity over self-determination in the Nagorno-Karabakh talks process. Bryza said a statement he made to the BBC in 2008 that "Armenia must agree that Nagorno-Karabakh is legally part of Azerbaijan" had been incorrectly translated from Russian. He vowed to respect the concept of self-determination for Nagorno-Karabakh's residents if he were confirmed as ambassador to Baku.
"My philosophy when it came to Nagorno-Karabakh was 'I'm not worth my weight in anything if I am not taking the hits publicly and trying to push the leaders out of their comfort zone and trying to encourage them to take the political risks required for a settlement,'" Bryza said. "To do that, it required me to say things that made one side or the other side a bit uncomfortable, in my estimation."
“There is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Bryza stated and denied that he had ignored the 2005 destruction of an ancient Armenian cemetery in Julfa, Azerbaijan.
Bryza denied that his Turkish-born wife, Zeyno Baran's, role as an analyst at think-tank the Hudson Institute would present a conflict of interest.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) remained unconvinced. In a statement after the hearing, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said, “Matt Bryza’s testimony unfortunately raised more questions than it answered, underscoring our longstanding concern that he is not the right person to represent the United States in Azerbaijan.”
“Today’s hearing shed long overdue sunshine on a number of serious shortcomings in Mr Bryza’s diplomatic activities, starting with his consistent failure to challenge Azerbaijan’s belligerence, the dramatic under-spending of Congressional allocations for Nagorno-Karabakh, and including, of course, his unwillingness to forcefully confront Baku’s video-taped destruction of the Julfa Armenian cemetery," Hamparian said.
Bryza does have support amongst the Senate committee. Co-Chairman Richard Lugar took the unusual step of presenting his candidacy to the committee.
He described Bryza as "uniquely qualified" to advance US priorities in Azerbaijan. "He possesses exceptional knowledge of the region, having spent the last 13 years working on US foreign policy in Europe and the Caucasus from both the White House and State Department. I have known and worked with Matt for much of this period. His personal efforts have been fundamental to improved relations among nations in the Caucasus and to improved energy security," Richard Lugar said.
US interests in Azerbaijan
Matthew Bryza's testimony to the committee hearing summed up US policy interests in Azerbaijan, which the nominee described as a very important partner of the United States.
"If confirmed, I will work to invigorate the US-Azerbaijan partnership in pursuit of the US’s three sets of strategic interests in Azerbaijan, notably security, energy and democratic reform."
He noted Azerbaijan's role as a transit country for supplies to US troops. "Azerbaijan continues to provide valuable overflight, refuelling and landing rights for US and coalition aircraft bound for Afghanistan. Azerbaijan is also an important partner in the Northern Distribution Network, allowing the United States to transit non-lethal goods through its territory en route to Afghanistan. Azerbaijan has also contributed troops to US and coalition military operations in Afghanistan, as well as Kosovo and Iraq.
"Even more, Azerbaijan has provided critical cooperation on counterterrorism, working closely with us on a range of important initiatives. Azerbaijan has also remained a steadfast supporter of Israel. The United States and Azerbaijan have worked together to help prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Caspian Sea Basin and beyond. The Nunn-Lugar program is the bedrock of these collaborative efforts. If confirmed, I will do everything possible to strengthen this vital initiative."
On Nagorno-Karabakh, Bryza said, "I also look forward, if confirmed, to helping advance a peaceful Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. There can be no military solution to this long-standing conflict; rather, negotiation and dialogue hold the key to resolving this issue and bringing peace and stability to the Caucasus region."
On energy, Bryza said, "Azerbaijan’s energy resources can help diversify global supplies of oil and gas and catalyze the economic growth and integration of the entire South Caucasus with global markets. Thanks to projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Caspian oil now reaches global markets in a commercially and environmentally sound way, free from potential cutoffs by monopolists or geographic choke points. In addition to oil, Azerbaijan is now becoming a crucial actor in our European allies’ efforts to diversify their supplies of natural gas. If confirmed, I will continue to support development of a Southern Corridor of natural gas infrastructure to link gas reserves in Azerbaijan – and perhaps Central Asia – with markets in Europe."
Bryza also mentioned the importance of democracy and human rights: "Sustaining and deepening the partnership described above will require a stable Azerbaijan. Stability will emerge from invigorated reforms that expand political participation and economic liberty, combat corruption and ensure the rule of law is consistent with human rights observance. During my four years as deputy assistant secretary of state, I consistently pursued progress on democratic reform, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan in a spirit of partnership.
"If confirmed, I will continue to encourage the government of Azerbaijan to move forward on key issues such as media freedom, freedom of expression, political pluralism, rule of law and civic participation. I will also continue to support youth exchanges which represent a significant and lasting investment in the future of Azerbaijan. Ultimately, if Azerbaijan succeeds in blending democratization, prosperity, and elements of its own culture, it could become an example for transitional countries around the world."
Matthew Bryza's nomination remains to be confirmed by a full sitting of the Senate.
APA, Eurasia.net, Radio Liberty
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