AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan ready to consult Russia and the U.S. over radar facility

Record ID: 218050

  • Title: AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan ready to consult Russia and the U.S. over radar facility
  • Date: 9th June 2007
  • Summary: (W3) BAKU, AZERBAIJAN (JUNE 8, 2007) (REUTERS) CITY OF BAKU AZERBAIJAN NATIONAL FLAG AZERBAIJAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY BUILDING SIGN READING "FOREIGN MINISTRY OF AZERBAIJAN"
  • Embargoed: 24th June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Azerbaijan
  • Country: Azerbaijan
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA5DTQ2SJ1ZI28WD50I5D30P7HF
  • Story Text: Azerbaijan says it is ready to hold talks with Russia and the United States over the use of a Russian-controlled radar facility as part of jointly controlled missile shield system. Azerbaijan authorities said on Friday (June 8) they were ready to hold consultations with Russia and the United States over the use of a Russian-controlled radar facility in the north of the country for a missile defence shield.
    Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said Russia had approached his government with a proposal to use the Qabala radar jointly with the United States, for example in sharing information obtained by it.
    "The Russian side has contacted us with the initiative and an offer in which they expressed their wish to use the facility together with the United States. This was announced, as you know yesterday, during the meeting between Russian and U.S. presidents. At the moment Azerbaijan's position can be presented as follows: and this (stand) is supported by both the United States and Russia: we think it is necessary to start consultations in two or three sided formats. On my part I can say that Azerbaijan is ready for such consultations," Mamedyarov said at a news conference in Baku.
    The comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to President George W. Bush at a G8 summit that Washington should use the Azeri radar instead of planned missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.
    The Qabala radar has been operating in the north of Azerbaijan since 1985 and is managed by Russian military who lease it from the Azeris. One of the biggest radars in the world, it scans the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and most of North Africa -- and can detect missiles launched in those areas.
    Bush did not directly mention Putin's offer in comments to reporters on Thursday. U.S. officials have in the past stressed they regarded the proposed central European sites as ideally placed to intercept missiles coming from the Middle East.
    Putin said that if Washington took up the offer he would not follow through with a threat to re-direct Russian missiles to targets in Europe. The Kremlin said Putin's idea would remove any need for a U.S. radar anywhere in eastern Europe.
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