Matthew J. Bryza
USA- Education and Early Career
- Diplomatic Service
- Europe and Russia
- Energy Diplomacy
- NSC and Deputy Assistant Secretary
- Ambassador to Azerbaijan
- Personal Life
Education and Early Career
Matthew J. Bryza is an American diplomat who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Stanford University and a Master of Arts degree in the same field from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He speaks fluent Russian and Polish, and is proficient in German and Spanish.
Diplomatic Service
Bryza joined the United States diplomatic service in August 1988. From 1989 to 1991, he served in the U.S. Consulate in Poznań and the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, where he witnessed the rise of the Solidarity movement and the reform of Poland's security system and regional policies.
Europe and Russia
From 1991 to 1995, Bryza worked in the State Department, covering Europe and Russia. During 1995 to 1997, he served in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, initially as Special Assistant to Ambassador Thomas Pickering and later as Political Officer, analyzing the Russian Duma, Communist Party, and events in Dagestan. From 1997 to 1998, Bryza was Special Advisor to Ambassador Richard Morningstar, focusing on economic reform in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Energy Diplomacy
Between July 1998 and March 2001, Bryza served as Deputy Special Advisor to the President and to the Secretary of State on Caspian Energy Issues. In this role, he coordinated U.S. government efforts to create oil and gas pipelines around the Caspian Sea.
NSC and Deputy Assistant Secretary
In April 2001, Bryza became a member of the National Security Council, where he covered Europe and Eurasia. He specifically focused on issues in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region. In June 2005, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Ambassador to Azerbaijan
In May 2010, Bryza was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan. In this role, he helped implement and secure U.S. interests in the Caucasus and Southern Europe. He also attempted to resolve the separatist conflicts in Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, as well as serving as Special Envoy for Eurasian Conflicts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He also worked on U.S. energy policy in the Black and Caspian Sea regions, and analyzed issues of tolerance, social integration, and Islam in Europe.
Personal Life
On August 23, 2007, Bryza married Zeyno Baran in Istanbul, Turkey. In June 2009, Daniel Fried proposed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Bryza be appointed as Ambassador to Azerbaijan.
