What does Kerry"s nomination mean for Azerbaijan?

President Barack Obama on Friday formally nominated veteran Democratic Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to be the next US Secretary of State, as he began reshaping his national security team for a second term, TURAN's Washington DC correspondent reports.

The nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate. If confirmed, he will take over the Secretary of State job from Hillary Clinton, who has said she would not stay on during Obama's second term beginning in January.

Washington, DC-based Armenian National Committee of America welcomed the nomination calling Kerry "long-time Armenian American issues supporter". "We look forward to continuing to work constructively with Senator Kerry, now in his new role at the Department of State, as we seek to lift Turkey's gag-rule on American recognition of the Armenian Genocide, strengthen U.S.-Armenia ties, and put in place freedom-based solutions that provide security to the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh," ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said in a statement. 

The 69-year-old Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts and a veteran of the Vietnam War, has been one of the president's closest advisers in foreign affairs and domestic politics. He was the Democratic Party candidate for president in 2004 and at the time gave then Illinois state senator Obama the honor of delivering the keynote address at the Democratic convention.

In the early 1990s, Kerry was a vocal leader in support of Senate adoption of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which restricted US assistance to Azerbaijan.

Over the years, Senator Kerry has been a strong advocate for Congressional affirmation of the "Armenian Genocide", cosponsoring many resolutions over the issue. At the Foreign Relations Committee, he pressed ambassadorial nominee to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone about US policy on the genocide issue, Turkey's blockade of Armenia, and the pending Turkey-Armenia Protocols. 

He, however, supported controversial candidate Matt Bryza's nomination to the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan post. Kerry is not currently a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

In the meantime, on September 5th, Kerry condemned President Ilham Aliyev's release of Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani lieutenant who was convicted of brutally axing to death Armenian soldier Gurgen Margaryan in his sleep, during a 2004 NATO training program. "I am shocked and appalled that Azerbaijan not only welcomed Safarov home, but pardoned, promoted, and treated him as a hero," noted Kerry. "This needlessly provocative act endangers the fragile peace between these countries and damages the government of Azerbaijan's credibility."

What does Kerry's nomination mean for Azerbaijan? Should Baku worry about the nomination? Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington DC have refused to comment to TURAN's requests on the topic.

For some DC analysts, such as Richard Kauzlarich, former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, "we should set aside such concern [over Sen. Kerry's position in his Senate years] and look at what the US government is going to be doing".

"First of all, Senator Kerry has a distinguished career as a public servant. He understands international relations... Like lots of politicians, they do things at one capacity that they believe are necessary - I mean, he represented the State of Massachusetts, with a large Armenian-American community and therefore with this advantage the senator has seen as supporter of 907... 

But I think, once a Secretary of State, -- I have to imagine just given his own personality and strong engagement, --- he will act as a Secretary of State of US.. He is not there to represent a particular group of American citizens or particular constituency of the US Congress", said Ambassador Kauzlarich. -25B-