Constantine Biryulin, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said that a compromise on the lease of the Qabala Radar in Azerbaijan may still be reached, RIA Novosti reports.
The press reported in early March that Azerbaijan planned to increase the price for leasing the radar from $7 million to $300 million annually for Russia in March. General-Major Victor Bondarev, Commander of the Russian Air Forces, said last week that the radar would be a minor loss and can be compensated.
The Qabala Radar was part of the Soviet missile shield. It became Azerbaijani property after the collapse of the USSR. Russia signed a deal on the lease of the radar in 2002, which expires on December 24, 2012. Russia wants to prolong the lease until 2025. Russia had planned to conclude negotiations before June 2012, because a new deal needs to be signed 6 months before expiration of the old one.
