Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 11 / Trend /
Russia has suspended its lease of the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan. This decision has been dictated first of all, by no further need of its practical use. The new generation stations at Voronezh will now replace the obsolete one, a source in the Russian Defence Ministry told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
On Monday the Russian side delivered a note halting the use of the radar station as of December 10, 2012 in connection with the expiration of the 'Agreement on the status, exploitation principles and conditions of the Gabala radar station between the Azerbaijani and Russian Governments' on Dec. 9, 2012, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry reported earlier.
According to the document, Baku has demonstrated its readiness to continue cooperating with Moscow on extending the lease of the radar station, but the sides failed to reach the agreement on the rental cost.
"The new Voronezh station can perform all the tasks of Gabala," a source at the Russian Defence Ministry told RIA Novosti. "The new system was created upon high operational technology at Armavir, in Krasnodar."
Baku believes that cessation of the Gabala radar station's operation will not affect bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.
Since gaining independence, Azerbaijan has been cooperating with Russia in all areas as a neighbouring and friendly country and significant successes have been gained, head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Azerbaijani presidential administration Novruz Mammadov told Trend on Monday.
"This cooperation continues today," Mammadov said.