ANCA shares reservations regarding Bryza nomination with US Senate Panel
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) today shared with members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee a 7-page review of potential conflict of interest and policy-related reservations regarding President Obama's nomination of Matthew Bryza to serve as Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan. In letters sent to each of the panel's 19 members, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian explained that the Armenian American community's concerns on the Bryza nomination fall into "two general categories, the first pertaining to potential conflicts of interest, and the second to shortcomings in his execution of our nation's foreign policy priorities."
"There is," explained Hachikian, "credible cause, in our view, for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to look into how the professional activities of Mr. Bryza's wife, scholar Zeyno Baran, may have created potential conflict of interest issues with the conduct of his official duties."
In addition to addressing potential conflict of interest issues, the ANCA review covers Bryza's diplomatic activity in the following areas: failure to meaningfully respond to Azerbaijan's videotaped destruction of a 1,300 year-old Armenian cemetery, false claim that Armenia excluded Nagorno-Karabakh from the peace process, false accusation that Armenia "occupies" Azerbaijani territory, pressure on Armenia to make unilateral concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh, firing of the US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans.
Note that. The Senate still has to approve the Bryza as the US Ambassador to Azerbaiajan after Barack Obama proposed his candidacy.