2006 Press Releases

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bryza Visits Turkmenistan

January 13, 2006

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew J. Bryza is visiting Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on January 12-14, 2006. At his meeting on Friday with President Saparmurat Niyazov, Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryza emphasized the U.S. Government’s pursuit of three sets of strategic interests in Central Asia: freedom through reform; energy and regional economic cooperation; and security. Specific discussion topics included human rights and democratic development, diversifying European energy supplies, non-proliferation and the Proliferation Security Initiative, and energy infrastructure and other economic links between Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the rest of South Asia. Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryza's schedule in Ashgabat also includes meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashit Meredov. He is also expected to meet with alumni of U.S. Government-sponsored exchange programs and representatives of civil society and religious groups.

Following his talk with President Saparmurat Niyazov, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bryza noted that the meeting was constructive for both sides. "The President and I discussed our 3-dimensional policy that pursues political and economic freedom, security cooperation, and energy security. I stressed in our meeting that the United States pursues all three of these sets of interests simultaneously because they are inter-dependent. Over the long run, success in any one set of these interests cannot be achieved absent progress in the other two areas. Stability requires legitimacy, which flows from democracy. Just last week President Bush made clear to Ambassador Jacobson that the advance of democracy and human rights is inextricably linked to the long-term security of the United States. We also discussed the important role Turkmenistan can play in bolstering energy security by injecting more commercial competition in European energy market, and by helping Afghanistan to stabilize and grow economically."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryza’s areas of responsibility include countries in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Southern Europe. He also leads U.S. efforts to advance peaceful settlements of the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts in Georgia, and works with the U.S. Special Negotiator for Eurasian Conflicts toward a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also coordinates U.S. efforts to bolster energy security in the regions surrounding the Black and Caspian Seas. He assumed his duties as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State in June 2005, after serving four years on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House covering these same issues. Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryza has previously served in Poland, Russia, and in a variety of Washington assignments. Mr. Bryza graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He received his master’s degree in the same field from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is fluent in Russian and Polish, and also speaks German and Spanish.