US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has appointed Lewis Bono as a senior advisor to the State Department on negotiations in the Caucasus.

 "In this position, Bono will work with the leaders of the region to advance the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to resolve the issue of the sovereign territory of Georgia, which is under ongoing occupation by Russia," the head of the US State Department said in a statement.

 Blinken says the appointment "reaffirms the importance the United States attaches to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia" and the role of the Geneva International Discussions on Georgia, "the only international format dedicated to Russia's ongoing occupation of 20 percent of Georgia's territory."

 It is noted that Bono has rich diplomatic experience, in particular, he worked at the US representation at the IAEA and the UN in Vienna.

 Last August, the position of senior adviser to the US Secretary of State for negotiations in the Caucasus was assumed by Philip Ricker. In January of this year, it became known that he is leaving his post and the diplomatic service.