The U.S. is going to continue negotiations on the format of the use of the Gabala radiolocation station (information-analytical centre “Daryal) with Azerbaijan and Russia next year.
At yesterday’s press conference in Baku assistant secretary for political-military affairs Andrew Shapiro claimed that talks on missile defense with Russia and Azerbaijan were being conducted in parallel.
“Negotiations on the missile defense are held both between the U.S. and Russia and within U.S.-Azerbaijan dialogue on security problems,” Shapiro emphasized.
In turn, deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov of Azerbaijan pointed out that period of rent of Gabala radar station by Russia was to expire next year.
“This radar station plays an important role in provision of the security of Russia, and the matter of rent will be raised again after its term completion.
Russia’s negotiations with the U.S. and NATO on missile defense issues, particularly issues of security in this area, are of importance as well. That is why we consider that these negotiations will be continued in the future,” Azimov said.
Today, the subject of negotiations is the format of operation of the station designed to ensure alarming about of missile launches from the southern hemisphere, and the rent, if Russia continues to use the station. Azerbaijan believes that the rent should be increased.
Earlier Russia proposed to use the RLS in the global system of ballistic missile defence of Europe, but the idea was not backed by NATO.
Russia itself had built a new modern radar station in Armavir that has reduced for it the value of Daryal built in 1985. As a result, solution of the issue already relates to the field of politics, rather than to military necessity.
Proceeding from political expediency, Russia has already unofficially tested the ground on the possibility to renew the rent of Gabala RLS for 20 years – until 2032. In January 2002, Russia took the radar on lease for $7 million a year.
Gabala RLS is intended for ballistic missile early warning, their tracking, coordinate measuring and computation of trajectory parameters.
Operating range of waves is meter long. Range capability on targets (effective area of dispersion of 0.1 m) – 6,000 km. Gabala RLS also allows monitoring of aerospace over the territory of Iran, Turkey, India, Iraq, Pakistan, partly China, and a range of Asian and African countries.
SOURCE: Azerbaijan Business Center
Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
