Russia to return radar station to Azerbaijan

BAKU - Russia is working with Azerbaijan to return the Gabala radar station to the central Asian country, local media Thursday quoted Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin as saying.

This week, the Russian-Azerbaijani working group held a meeting discussing the withdrawal of Russian equipment from the Gabala radar station. "We need to return the station to Azerbaijan in the form we leased it," Dorokhin said.

Russia and Azerbaijan signed an agreement in 2002 on leasing the Gabala radar station.

"The equipment that was imported after the agreement is the property of the Russian Federation. Now we are working to determine what Russia has the right to take out of the station," the ambassador said, adding that the station will be completely handed over to Azerbaijan soon.

Partly because of cost concerns, Russia decided not to rent the Gabala radar station after its lease expired in December.

The Gabala station, located in northwest Azerbaijan, was built during the Soviet era as one of the most important elements of the Soviet Union's missile defense system.