Azerbaijan, Baku, June 24 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Azerbaijani political analysts disagree on the reasons behind the long absence of a U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan.
"The absence of one country's ambassador to another state is a negative sign in diplomacy. But I do not think this somehow complicates U.S.-Azerbaijani relations," independent political scientist Fikret Sadikhov said at a round-table on Azerbaijan-United States relations today.
Political analyst Rasim Agayev voiced a slightly different view on the issue.
"The U.S. position is to pressure Azerbaijan," he said. "The United States is pursuing its personal interests in the region. It is using various mechanisms to do so, including Armenia and Azerbaijan."
Meanwhile, political analyst Zardusht Alizade said the United States is playing an important role in Azerbaijani policy.
"The positions of Azerbaijan and the United States coincide in many important issues," he said. "One example is our oil policy and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Regardless, Azerbaijan must continue to develop and push its own priorities."
Sadikhov said ex-OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairman Matthew Bryza's appointment as the new U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan should not be take as a sign of a warming political relationship with the United States, as he was only assigned to the post due to his regional knowledge.
"Bryza will only implement Washington's political decisions and one should not expect him to be as proactive as he was while serving as a co-chair, " he said.
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