Epress.am News from Armenia
The Washington-based Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) has urged the Senate to immediately approve US President Barack Obama’s nominees for ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Francis Ricciardone and Matthew Bryza (respectively), claiming the vacant posts in both countries pose a risk to US interests, reports Today’s Zaman.
In an article published Tuesday in The Hill, TCA President G. Lincoln McCurdy called on the Senate to approve the ambassador-designates, Ricciardone and Bryza, whose confirmation was put on hold earlier this summer, defining the two countries as significant US partners in a wide range of issues.
Republican Senator Sam Brownback put the confirmation of Ricciardone on hold in August, claiming that he would be too soft in dealing with the Turkish government at a time when the current Turkish government is strengthening ties with the Iranian regime and distancing itself from Israel.
Recall that Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) had opposed Bryza’s nomination as US ambassador to Azerbaijan and recently placed a “hold” on the nomination.