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New Caucasus Negotiator Has 'Personal Confidence' of Secretary Blinken, State Department Says
New U.S. Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations "has the personal confidence" of Secretary of State Antony Blinken in taking on his new role, the State Department said on Wednesday, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
Career diplomat Louis L. Bono is replacing Ambassador Philip Reeker, who recently retired from this position, as TURAN reported earlier.
Asked by TURAN's Washington correspondent whether the Senior Advisor's mandate remained the same and if it was Secretary Blinken's concern that Azerbaijan and Armenia are sleepwalking towards another war, Vedant Patel, State Department's principal deputy spokesperson, said the following:
"... This is something that is of deep importance to the Secretary. It’s something that the Department [of State] is paying close attention to."
"Secretary Blinken in particular, as you know, had the chance to speak with both the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. So this is something that we’re going to continue to remain deeply engaged in," Patel told a daily press briefing.
On the subject of Mr. Bono, Patel said, he is the lead for U.S. engagement to promote peace and stability for the South Caucasus.
"And he also represents the United States in the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair format, as his predecessors have in this role. Specifically, what I will say, though, about his qualifications – as I just said, this is an enduring priority for the Biden administration," Patel added.
Bono is a senior leader in the department with significant experience working on challenging and complex issues, according to the department official.
"And he has the personal confidence of Secretary Blinken and this department in taking on this new role," Patel concluded.
The State Department didn't have any new policy or announcement of an upcoming trip for the new Caucasus negotiator. In the meantime, when pressed, Patel said, "this is of course something that we’re going to continue to pay close attention to and focus on."
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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