Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 8 / Trend A. Akhundov /
Azerbaijan and Russia are to decide whether to extend the lease contract of the Gabala radar station, or to sign a new agreement.
"The Azerbaijan and Russia defence ministries are to hold meetings to either extend the existing lease of the Gabala radar station, or sign a new contract," Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov told media today.
The issues of changes to the cost of the lease, radar station modernisation, as well as data transfer from the station to the third countries are to be discussed, Mr Khalafov said.
The Gabala radar station located in north-western Azerbaijan was built in Soviet times as one of the most important elements of a missile defence system of the USSR. After Azerbaijan gained independence the radar station become the country's property and Russia continued to use it. A 10-year agreement to lease the station was signed in 2002.
"The negotiations at governmental level have not begun yet," he said. "They will start soon."
The Russian Defence Ministry will send Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov to Azerbaijan to attend the talks, a spokesperson for Russian Defence Minister, lieutenant colonel Irina Kovalchuk said earlier.
She said that Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Colonel General Safar Abiyev. They discussed the state and prospects of cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan in the military area, including the issues relating to the extension of the term of the radar station, RIA Novosti reported.
"It is planned to begin inter-state negotiations to resolve these issues in the near future," she said. A decision was made to send a Russian inter-departmental delegation, headed by Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov to Baku."
Previously, the Defence Ministry reported the negotiations with Azerbaijan to extend the lease of the Gabala radar station until 2025. The term of the lease agreement and exploitation conditions of this facility expires on December 24, 2012.