A1Plus  The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved Tuesday the nomination of Matthew Bryza as the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Senators Barbara Boxer and Robert Menendes voted against Bryza.

At the request of Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat, California), who represents the largest Armenian-American constituency in the country, the committee's vote on Bryza's nomination was put on hold earlier this year. Boxer was displeased with Bryza's stance on the Karabakh issue settlement.

"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. 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 Boxer said in her remarks during the Committee meeting.

According to Senator Menendez, Bryza failed to recognise the Armenian Genocide and condemn ceasefire violations along the Line of Contact between the armed forces of NKR and Azerbaijan, and neglected Azerbaijan's desecration of the Djulfa cemetery. Besides, Bryza has close personal ties with Azerbaijani and Turkish readership and therefore he cannot act as an unbiased representative of the United States in Azerbaijan.

After yesterday's vote, Senator Boxer told Voice of America (VOA) that the voting results are likely to be reconsidered in the Senate's plenary sitting taking into consideration the dissenting votes, which means any senator may suspend Bryza's appointment as the U.S. Senator to Azerbaijan.