Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.18 / Trend E.Tariverdiyeva /
On Thursday, Jan.19, Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov and Elmar Mammadyarov will meet in Moscow to sign an agreement on diplomatic property, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference for Russian and foreign media outlets on the activity of the country's diplomacy in 2011, Russia 24 TV channel reported.
"Talks on Gabala radar station leased by Russia continue and the matter is now that of cost of the lease. We have no problems on this question as a matter of principle," he said.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev chose which members of the national group should meet for the talks on status, lease principles and use of the Gabala radar station including the Daryal information and analytical centre to be held with Russia in connection with the expiration of the original agreement signed on Jan.25, 2002.
Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyubov headed the Azerbaijani negotiating group and for Moscow it includes a working commission of representatives from the Russian ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Industry and Trade.
The Gabala radar station serves to warn about missile launches in the Southern hemisphere. The terms of the lease agreement and conditions of this facility expires in December, 2012 and Russia is willing to extend the lease until 2025.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said the station's modernisation plans offered by Russia will be decided on at the talks and aim at preparing unified document regulations on all issues of the terms and cost of the lease. Azerbaijani officials said the talks will also decide on issues of ownership and modern technology of control over missile launches, if the option of the station's modernisation is chosen.