On September 21, 2010 the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee will consider the former OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Matthew Bryza’s nomination for a post of U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan.

In August, the Committee postponed a vote on Bryza’s nomination due to a ‘hold-over’ request by Senator Barbara Boxer.

Some Senators found Bryza’s answers regarding the Karabakh Conflict, his stance on the destruction of Armenian khachkars (ancient Cross Stones) in Hin Jugha and issues regarding his future activities in Baku unsatisfactory and evasive.

In an interview with RFE/RL, ANCA Spokeswoman Elizabeth Chuljian said that Bryza’s activities in the region yielded no results. 

“It is obvious that the Senators have concerns regarding Bryza’s-who has been dealing with the Caucasus region for 10 years- nomination. In these years, we witnessed destabilization and threats from Azerbaijan. The recent incident in Karabakh when an Armenian soldier was killed testifies to this,” Chuljian said. She also stated that the U.S. Government’s policy on Karabakh and the South Caucasus has failed. Matthew Bryza was a symbol of this failure, while holding different posts, she noted, expressing hope that the Senators concerned over the issue would like to see a new nominee for the ambassador’s post in Baku.

“The vote is not the last step. If a Senator has concerns over the candidate, he can reject the nomination, as in the case of last year’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Hoagland. If the Committee votes for Bryza, we are hopeful that the Senators will take the next step and prevent the nomination,” she said.