Russia, Azerbaijan to prolong Gabala radar lease contract up to 2025

Russia, Azerbaijan to prolong Gabala radar lease contract up to 2025
Russia and Azerbaijan are going to prolong the Gabala radar lease contract till 2025, Russian Defense Ministry's press-secretary, Lieutenant-Colonel Irina Kovalchyuk was quoted by Azerbaijani media as saying on Thursday.

Kovalchyuk made the statement after the Thursday's meeting between Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and his Azerbaijani counterpart Colonel-General Safar Abiyev during the 61st meeting of the Council of the CIS Defense Ministers in Alamaty, Kazakhstan.

"The two sides discussed the procedure of joint work to prolong till 2025 the lease contract for the Gabala radar," Kovalchyuk said. "It was agreed to step up work with the aim to agree and prepare for signature within tight deadlines a document that would formalize the agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan on the issue."

According to Kovalchuk, at the end of the 61st meeting of the Council of the CIS Defense Ministers the Russian defense minister held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan."

"At the meetings with the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Kazakhstan plans were approved for military cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the defense ministries of these countries in 2012," she said.

The Gabala radar, located in the northwest of Azerbaijan, was built in the Soviet era as one of the most important elements of the USSR missile defense system. After Azerbaijan regained its independence and became the owner of the radar, Russia continued to use the radar.

The 10-year Gabala radar lease agreement was signed in 2002. Russia uses the radar to detect missile movement in the southern hemisphere.

Editor: yan

English.news.cn   2011-11-18 05:27:56 FeedbackPrintRSS
BAKU, Nov. 17 (Xinhua)