U.S., Washington, Aug.15 / Trend N.Bogdanova /
Former assistant secretary of State David Kramer thinks that there will not be major changes with the replacement of a number of U.S diplomats in South Caucasus.
"I don't expect major changes with the arrival of Tina Kaidanov, a very solid and experienced diplomat", former U.S Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Senior Transatlantic Fellow of German Marshall Fund, David Kramer, said in an interview with Trend .
The U.S is changing a number of diplomats in the region (U.S ambassador to Azerbaijan, the U.S Co-Chairman in the Minsk Group and the Deputy assistant on Europe and Eurasian affairs. Instead of Matthew Bryza the position will be taken by U.S Ambassador to Kosovo Ms. Tina S. Kaidanov).
Kramer added that Matthew Bryza has been following these issues for years and has done a great job, but it's also good to have a fresh perspective and I expect Ambassador Kaidanov will do an excellent job.
The former U.S official believes that the U.S priorities in the region will remain. "Energy remains a top priority for the U.S. in the region. The U.S. also wants to see the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolved and will also work on other problems in the region affecting Georgia", he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
According to Kramer all issues concerning cooperation are given prominent attention by the Obama Administration. "These issues are just as important as energy and security matters" Kramer said in an interview with Trend .