Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that there is no dispute between Russia and Azerbaijan on the Qabala radar. The topic of negotiations is the price for lease of the radar, he clarified, RIA Novosti reports.
Eric Rubin, US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, was to arrive for the negotiations in Baku, some media said.
The Qabala radar was built as one of anti-missile elements of the Soviet missile shield. The radar became Azerbaijani property after collapse of the USSR. Russia has been using the radar ever since. The latest deal for lease of the radar was signed in 2002.
Vestnik Kavkaza reported earlier that Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov had visited Baku in September and had announced plans for reconstruction of the facility and reduction of its territory. He said that the radar had been built in Russia and assembled in Qabala.
Azerbaijan stresses on the financial aspect of the deal, demanding a higher price for rent and increase of own military staff, purchase of Azerbaijani food and other goods for the facility.
Russia wants the old price, Serdyukov says. The new radar would not need communications.
Russian and Azerbaijani defense ministers are having consultations about the radar. Vladimir Savchenko, Director General of the Radio Technical Institute named after Academician A.L. Mints, said that Russia plans to build the Voronezh-VP type of radar by 2019.
Vladimir Yevseyev, Director of the Center for Social and Political Studies, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Russia has such radar in Armavir, monitoring the same direction as the Qabala radar. Thus, the projected radar would dupe functions.
