Russian Deputy FM: Too early to talk about Gabala radar station’s possible role in missile defence cooperation

Russia believes it is premature to speak about the Gabala radar station's role in cooperation with the U.S. on missile defence system, RIA Novosti quotes Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Tuesday. "It is premature to speak about the role that the Gabala radar station could play in Russia's missile defence cooperation with the United States and NATO," he said. Ryabkov added that Russia is demanding the U.S. and NATO issue legally binding guarantees that the missile defence system is not directed against Russia. "Guarantees should be legally binding, but it is not just words. Besides that, the formulation should be legally binding in nature and accompanied by a set of objective military, technical criteria, upon which the Russian side would itself judge whether the missile defence is not directed against it," Ryabkov said. In early April Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that at present there is no question of transferring any data from the Gabala radar station to the U.S. as part of the missile defence cooperation. The Gabala radar station located in north-western Azerbaijan was built in Soviet times as one of the most important elements of the USSR's missile defence system. After Azerbaijan gained independence the station become the country's property and Russia continued to use it. Previously, the Defence Ministry reported holding negotiations with Azerbaijan to extend the lease of the radar station until 2025. The term of the lease agreement and exploitation conditions of this facility expires in December, 2012. In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered the U.S. the joint use of the Gabala radar station as an alternative to deployment of the U.S. missile defence system in the Czech Republic.