Azernews.Az

US President George Bush sees Azerbaijan as a suitable location for missile defense facilities.
He told a NATO summit that started in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Wednesday that the United States could station such elements in the country and that this would bring great benefits to the alliance.
Bush’s views were influenced by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s earlier proposal.
Last summer, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the United States jointly use an early warning radar in Azerbaijan’s western Gabala district instead of a system based in Central Europe. Moscow and Washington held discussions on the issue on different levels but the two superpowers have not reached a specific agreement so far.
Bush expressed willingness to accept some of Moscow’s proposals but suggested he would not abandon the core U.S. plan, which envisions basing missile defense elements in NATO members Czech Republic and Poland.
"We believe these sites could be included as part of a wider threat monitoring system that could lead to an unprecedented level of strategic cooperation between Russia and the NATO alliance. The missile defense capabilities we are developing are not designed to defend against Russia — just as the new NATO we are building is not designed to defend against Russia," Bush said.
"Putin suggested to me that Azerbaijan’s radar systems are very beneficial. I think this would benefit not only America and NATO but also Russia and Azerbaijan."
The United States says missile defense is pivotal to thwarting a potential threat from Iran, which is suspected by the West of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
Azerbaijan backs Russia’s proposal on joint use of the Gabala facility and views it as a new element in strategic cooperation between the two countries.
The radar station was built in 1980. The early-warning radar equipment, leased by Russia for $7m a year till 2012, allows to track down air space for a distance of 6,000 km.*