Thursday, February 2 2023 10:48

ArmInfo. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has appointed Louis L. Bono Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations.

Below is a press statement by the U.S. Department of State: 

"I am appointing Louis L. Bono, a member of the Senior Foreign  Service, as Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations. In this  capacity, Mr. Bono will work with regional leaders to advance the  peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to address Russia's  ongoing occupation of sovereign Georgian territory. 

"Mr. Bono brings a wealth of multilateral and bilateral experience to  the position, having served as Acting Representative to the  International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Offices in  Vienna and Charge d'Affaires, ad interim to the Holy See. He has also  served as Director of the Basrah Regional Office, on the National  Security Council, and as an advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State  and to the Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business  Affairs. He is retired from the Army Reserves, where he was an  instructor at West Point and the Army War College.

"The United States is committed to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan  negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement, including a long-term  political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mr. Bono will  engage bilaterally, with likeminded partners, including the European  Union, and with international organizations, such as the OSCE, to  facilitate direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. His  appointment also reaffirms the importance the United States places on  Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the role of the  Geneva International Discussions on Georgia, the only international  format addressing Russia's ongoing occupation of 20 percent of  Georgia's territory."

Philip Reeker left the posts of U.S. OSCE Minsk Group co-chair and  Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations.