Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani and Russian defense ministries are due to discuss extending the lease of the Azerbaijani Gabala radar station or sign a new agreement on operating the giant Soviet-era facility, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov told reporters.

Changes to the cost of the lease, modernization as well as data transfer from the facility to third countries are to be discussed during the planned meetings, Khalafov said.

"The negotiations at governmental level have not begun yet but will start soon," he added.

The 10-year agreement on Gabala radar lease expires on December 24, 2012.

The facility, 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 Russian Defense Ministry will delegate Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov to Azerbaijan to attend the talks in the near future, a spokesperson for the Russian Defense Minister, Irina Kovalchuk, said earlier.

She said that Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Safar Abiyev. The ministers discussed prospects of military cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan, including issues relating to the extension of the radar station lease, Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The Gabala 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.