Azernews.Az

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia has no dispute with Azerbaijan on leasing the Azerbaijani missile early-warning radar. He clarified that the topic of negotiations is the price of lease, Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The Gabala radar station in northwestern Azerbaijan was built as one of anti-missile elements of the Soviet missile shield. After Azerbaijan gained independence, the radar station became the country's property but Russia continued to operate the facility. A ten-year agreement to lease the station expires in December 2012.

"Talks on the issue are to be continued between our military delegations in the coming days," Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday. "As far as I understand, the matter specifically pertains... the fee for lease, and there are no problems of principle here. Our delegations just have to reach agreement."

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov visited Baku in September and announced Russia’s plans to rebuild the Gabala facility and reduce its territory. He said the new radar will be built in Russia and assembled in Gabala.

Azerbaijan demands a higher price for leasing the radar station and to increase its military staff there.

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.