ANCA: SENATOR BOXER PLACES "HOLD" ON BRYZA NOMINATION
22-09-2010 10:10:09 | USA | Press release
Senators Menendez and Boxer Spoke Forcefully Against Controversial U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nominee during Committee Meeting Earlier Today
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced this
evening that she has placed a "hold" on U.S. Ambassador to
Azerbaijan nominee Matthew Bryza, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
The Senator's decision followed a Senate Foreign Relations
Committee vote earlier today to approve his nomination by voice
vote, despite serious concerns regarding the Ambassador-designate's
unusually close ties to Azerbaijani government officials, his
troubling track record as a senior diplomat dealing with the
Caucasus, and persistent conflict of interest issues related to the
Caspian energy industry. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Boxer
both spoke and voted against the Bryza nomination.
"Thanks to Senator Boxer, U.S. diplomacy dodged a bullet today,"
said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "It would have
been a serious mistake - both for U.S. strategic interests and for
hopes of lasting peace in the Caucasus - to have sent Matt Bryza to
Baku amid escalating threats of renewed war by Azerbaijan's
leaders. Given his track record, he clearly would have been the
wrong diplomat, at the wrong time, in the exactly the wrong post.
We are deeply grateful to Senator Boxer for preventing this grave
diplomatic misstep and for all of Senator Menendez's leadership and
hard work on this issue."
Hamparian added, "Our nation's important diplomatic work in
Azerbaijan can now get off to a fresh start, one without the bias
and baggage that Matt Bryza would have brought to this pivotal
position. Our hope now is that the President will nominate a new
candidate who will openly stand up to Azerbaijan's aggression and
forcefully deter its march toward renewed war against Nagorno
Karabakh."
Sen. Boxer's hold prevents full Senate consideration of the Bryza
nomination, effectively blocking his confirmation for this
ambassadorial post. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) took a similar
action in 2006, preventing the appointment of U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia nominee Richard Hoagland, who denied the Armenian Genocide
during his Senate confirmation process.
Senators Express Reservations During Committee Consideration
In her remarks during today's Committee meeting, Senator Boxer
explained that she voted against the Bryza nomination because he
had not demonstrated the willingness or the ability to meaningfully
confront Azerbaijan's aggression.
"Despite my appreciation for Mr. Bryza's long service as a Foreign
Service Officer, I don't believe he is the right person for this
position," explained Senator Boxer. "What concerns me is that Mr.
Bryza has demonstrated a pattern of unwillingness to speak out
forcefully in the face of increasing Azerbaijani aggression against
Nagorno Karabakh."
Senator Menendez, who has played a leadership role throughout the
Bryza confirmation process, noted that he had "serious reservations
about the U.S. ambassador nominee to Azerbaijan," citing Bryza's
inaction in the face of Azerbaijan's desecration of the Djulfa
cemetery and opposition to Armenian Genocide affirmation; and,
"very close personal ties to Turkey and Azerbaijan, and therefore
about his ability to act as an unbiased representative of the
United States in Azerbaijan."
Even Senators voting in favor of Bryza expressed worries about his
nomination. The panel's Chairman, John Kerry (D-MA), stated that
he appreciated the concerns raised by Senators Menendez and Boxer
and anticipated continued Senate scrutiny. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-
WI) issued a statement following the vote, stating that he found
concerns raised by constituents and others "troubling, particularly
Mr. Bryza's relationship with the Azerbaijan Government."
Bryza's Responses to Senate Inquiry Unconvincing
Bryza's incomplete and evasive responses to extensive questioning
by Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Boxer, Menendez and
Jean Shaheen (D-NH) during his July 22nd confirmation hearing, and
to subsequent written questions by Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid (D-NV), and Senators Boxer, Menendez, and Russ Feingold (D-
WI), led Senator Boxer to ask for a delay in the consideration of
his nomination on August 3rd. Her action provided Senators a
meaningful opportunity time to review his candidacy during the
August recess. Additional responses submitted to Senators during
the August Congressional recess were equally evasive.
Senators have been primarily concerned with Bryza reluctance to
condemn repeated Azerbaijani attacks against Nagorno Karabakh,
which have claimed the lives of eight soldiers during the last
three months. He also drew criticism for side-stepping questions
regarding his three-month public silence following the release of
video documenting the Azerbaijani destruction of the 1300-year-old
Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, Azerbaijan.
Bryza's responses to concerns regarding conflict of interest issues
dealing with his wife, Zeyno Baran, were equally troubling. In
recent days, the ANCA learned that Baran serves on the editorial
board of the Azerbaijani Government funded "Azerbaijan Focus," a
journal published by the Center for Strategic Studies under the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (known by the acronym SAM
in the Azerbaijani language). Joining Baran on the editorial board
are Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov; Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hafiz Pashayev;
Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan Ramiz Mehdiyev; Head of the Department of Foreign
Relations of the Administration of the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan Novruz Mammadov; Head of the Department of Political
Analysis and Information Provision of the Administration of the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elnur Aslanov; Director of
the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the
Republic of Azerbaijan Elkhan Nuriyev; and Executive Director of
the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahmar Movsumov.
Mamedyarov had been one of three witnesses standing up for the
groom at the Bryza - Baran wedding in 2007.
The ANCA's detailed 9-page review of the shortcomings of the Bryza
nomination can be found at:
http://www.anca.org/assets/pdf/misc/BryzaNomination.pdf