U.S. President Donald Trump’s letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of Azerbaijan’s Republic Day is an expression of friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, Matthew Bryza, former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan and former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, told News.Az.

As for bilateral cooperation, the former diplomat said that the U.S. and Azerbaijan share three sets of interests.

“The first one is international security which includes cooperation in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group that is trying to help Azerbaijan restore its territorial integrity and to find a mutually agreed settlement,” he said. “The second one is cooperation on the diversification of energy supplies, in particular for European allies.”

“For me, the third one is that the strong reforming steps taken by Azerbaijan over the past several years are bearing fruits,” Bryza added.

As for e-governance, Bryza emphasized the great importance of ASAN Service.

“Yesterday and the day before, I participated in the ASAN Global Web Forum, organized by the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASAN Service). I can say that ASAN Service is a great achievement which has increased transparency, reduced corruption, and improved the delivery of key public services to the population,” he said.

News.Az