Strong opposition of the Armenian lobby may become the reason for delay in a vote on U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan-designate Matthew Bryza, said Thomas Ambrosio, an associate professor of political science in the Criminal Justice and Political Science Department at North Dakota State University. 

According to him, appointment of U.S. Ambassadors is not that disputable, it is a usual procedure, involving the interests of certain groups, 1 news.az reported. Bryza’s case is debatable because several members of the Armenian community in U.S. and abroad believe that the diplomat has close ties with Azerbaijani and Turks, the expert noted.

Ambrosio considers that Bryza’s wife’s nationality (his wife - Zeyno Baran is Turkish by origin) and her work at the Hudson Institute, a Washington- based think tank, puts Bryza to a disadvantage.

Although the Armenian lobby’s influence has declined since its climax in early 1990s, such groups as the Armenian National Committee of America are still influential and therefore may become one of the main reasons for the delay in ambassador’s nomination to the post, he stressed.

The Obama administration believes that Matthew Bryza’s awareness of the regional developments and experience as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair makes him a good nominee for the post. However, his involvement in the regional events for such a long period of time arouses concern of certain circles. If he were a new comer, his nomination would not cause suspicion but it would not be efficient as well. The expert noted that the Azerbaijani side also criticized Bryza when he was in office. Thus, it is difficult to accuse him of “playing on one side only”. As to U.S. position in Azerbaijan, Thomas Ambrosio does not think that such support can have significant influence in this context. The U.S. interests will be represented in Azerbaijan even if there is no ambassador. However, in case the vote is prolonged too much, it will be a problem.

As NEWS.am reported earlier, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a vote on U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan-designate Matthew Bryza until after the Senate August recess (August 9-12). According to Committee Chairman Kerry, the decision was made in response to a ‘hold-over’ request by Senator Barbara Boxer.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Barbara Boxer and Robert Menendez raised key policy issues during Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on July 23. Senator Jeanne Shaheen asked Bryza to respond to her constituents’ concerns, including accusations regarding his close ties to senior Azerbaijani officials. Matthew Bryza noted he maintains professional relationships with not only Azeri officials, but also with those in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. He also assured the Committee that his wedding was not funded by outside sources.