The U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee confirmed the nomination of Francis J. Ricciardone to the position of U.S. Ambassador to Ankara.

As NEWS.am reported previously, heated discussions were held during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing of Ambassador-Designate Francis Ricciardone on July 23.

“Facilitating regional integration is a high priority for the United States. Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia will foster increased stability and prosperity in the entire Caucasus region. As President Obama noted in his Armenian Remembrance Day statement of April 24th, ‘Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity.” We commended the governments of Turkey and Armenia on their signing of the historic protocols on normalization of relations on October 10, 2009 in Zurich. The United States will continue to urge Turkey to ratify the protocols,” Ricciardone said.