Azernews.Az

Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov has said Azerbaijan intends to hike the rent paid by Russia for the use of the Gabala missile early-warning radar.

Azimov said Russia’s current payments do not correspond to the facility’s value and Azerbaijan’s pertinent risks.

"Russia’s current payments of $7 million per year for the Gabala radar station, which serves as an information analysis center, are insufficient," Azimov told Interfax Azerbaijan.

"On one hand, the payment is not adequate to Russia’s interests and regional and international security. On the other hand, the payment does not cover the threats posed to Azerbaijan, which allows the station to function on its territory," Azimov said.

"The experience of other countries, including Russia's experience with similar facilities operated in other countries, is grounds to say that it is important to increase payments several times," Azimov said.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said last Friday that Moscow plans to rebuild the Gabala radar station and reduce the area leased.

The Russian Defense Ministry recently reported that negotiations were underway with Azerbaijan to extend the lease of the radar station until 2025. The lease agreement will expire on December 24, 2012.

Serdyukov said a new radar station will be built at a plant and further installed in the area of the Gabala facility. He added that any increase in the Gabala facility’s capacities would be "useful and very important", but in this case the Russian military would like to fully upgrade the radar station.

The minister said that in general, Azerbaijan does not object to this plan and only financial issues remain to be agreed upon.

He also said Russia would like to keep the lease for the Gabala facility unchanged.

Azerbaijan is asking over $15 million per year for the Gabala facility’s lease, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported earlier, quoting some sources. A higher rent would be compensation for environmental impact on the area used to operate the facility, and would ensure wider employment opportunities for Azerbaijani citizens servicing the Russian personnel at the radar facility, as part of the new agreement.

The Gabala radar station, located in northwestern Azerbaijan, was built during the Soviet times as one of the key elements of the USSR’s missile defense system. After Azerbaijan gained independence and became owner of the radar station, Russia continued to operate the facility.

The radar station allows to track territory spanning 6,000 km, including Iran, Turkey, India, the Middle East, as well as the Indian Ocean and a part of the Australian continent. The early warning equipment would immediately track mid-range missiles with nuclear warheads potentially launched from these territories.