No one needs Gabala radar station?

Two days ago, the lease term of radar station "Daryal", located in the Gabala region of Azerbaijan, by Russia officially expired. It has not been previously prolonged, since in February 2012 Baku raised the rent from $ 7 million to $ 300 million. These conditions are considered in Moscow unacceptable, and the negotiations on the extension of the contract have deadlocked. Experts interviewed by the edition answer the question of who really benefits from "Gabala game".

Sources in the Russian military circles say that the rejection of Gabala will not really affect Russia. Similar radars are located in the Irkutsk region and Adygea. It's not about the loss of an important point, but about the behavior of the Azerbaijani side. "Here a lot is linked to geopolitics and financial reasons. Azerbaijan states that in the case of Russia's obduracy Gabala radar station will be transferred to the United States. Baku acts like a blackmailer", military analyst Viktor Litovkin said in an interview to the Big Caucasus. "All software at the station is Russian. Leaving the radar, the Russians will take it away, but without the software the radar is useless heap of scrap metal. Americans will not spend time and money for its re-equipment, since it is expensive and

pointless. Baku's dirty game, in which only Russian military experts and their families suffer, is obvious".

What they say about Gabala in Azerbaijan? "Legal relations between Moscow and Baku regarding this radar are over", Rovshan Ibrahimov, the head of the Foreign Policy Analysis of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan told the edition. "But I do not think the story of radar station "Daryal" is over. If Russia is still interested in it, in 2013 Azerbaijan would consider new ways of cooperation with Moscow on this issue. Until the new lease contract everything remains at this level". As explained by the Azerbaijani political scientist, Baku has changed the rent conditions due to historical and economic reasons, which should be clear for Moscow.

"Historical situation has changed", said Rovshan Ibrahimov. "For the first time the lease contract was signed in 1992, and it was needed as an act of rapprochement between Moscow and Baku. But during Yeltsin's period Russian-Azerbaijani relations have reached a negative stage. During the reign of Vladimir Putin these relationships acquired pragmatic ground and significantly improved".

"Now, in late 2012, Azerbaijan regards the agreement on Gabala from economic perspective", Ibrahimov continues. "This is the second category of reasons. $ 7 million for the rent today does not meet the economic needs of Azerbaijan. Gabala is tourist region. Revenue from tourism can many times exceed the amount of the rent. Given this and the mood of the residents of Gabala, Azerbaijan considers it inappropriate to extend the lease of Gabala Russia on current conditions. Therefore the terms have been adjusted in favor of the rent increase, adjusted for the fact that if Russia refuses to accept them, Baku has the right to terminate the contract. Such is the position of Azerbaijan", Rovshan Ibrahimov told the Big Caucasus.

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