Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan and Russia have managed to iron out many differences on the Gabala radar station, and an agreement will soon be reached to extend Russia`s lease of the facility, head of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament), Valentina Matvienko, was quoted by the Baku-based Trend news agency as saying on an official visit to Azerbaijan.

``Several rounds of negotiations have been held between the defense and foreign ministries of the two countries,`` Matvienko said at a press conference in Baku. ``A normal negotiating process is underway and many differences have been removed. Although several issues have yet to be resolved, a mutually acceptable solution should soon be found.``

The Gabala radar station, located in north-western Azerbaijan, was built during the Soviet era as one of the key elements of the USSR`s missile defense system. After Azerbaijan gained independence the facility become the country`s property, but Russia continued to operate it.

The current lease agreement is due to expire in December 2012. Russia has been in talks with Azerbaijan to extend the lease of the facility, which it has operated under a 2002 deal.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said Moscow was holding talks with Azerbaijan to extend the lease until 2025.

Also, Director General of the Radio Engineering Institute Vladimir Savchenko told RIA Novosti news agency that Russia plans to complete the construction of a new radar station, Voronezh-VP, in Azerbaijan`s Gabala region in 2019 to replace the existing facility.

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.