Azernews.Az

Senior Azerbaijani and Russian officials held talks in Moscow Wednesday on extending Russia’s lease of the Gabala missile early-warning radar, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

A delegation led by Azerbaijani First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov and Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov discussed extending the ten-year intergovernmental agreement on the radar station’s lease, which expires in December 2012, and the terms of operating the facility. Baku and Moscow agreed to continue negotiations to sign a new agreement soon.

The Azerbaijani delegation visiting Russia also includes Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, Finance Minister Samir Sharifov, and head of the State Land and Mapping Committee Garib Mammadov.

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.

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.