Obama nominates Matthew Bryza for Ambassador to Azerbaijan

President Barack Obama has nominated Matthew Bryza as US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, said in a statement posted on the official site of the White House.

Announcing his intentions to nominate several diplomats to key administration posts, President Obama said: “These talented and dedicated individuals will be valued additions to my Administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

Matthew J. Bryza, a nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs. He previously served as the Director for Europe and Eurasia at the National Security Council in the White House. He was also Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy. Bryza has also served in Russia and Poland. He received a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

From 2006 to 2009 Bryza served as the US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at settlement to the Karabakh conflict.

The post of US Ambassador in Baku has been vacant since the previous ambassador, Ann Derse, left it in connection with the completion of a term in July of 2009. Bryza’s appointment must be confirmed by the US Senate.