Azerbaijan Ready for U.S. Role at Radar Site

Azerbaijan formally agreed yesterday to allow U.S. access to a Soviet-era missile-monitoring radar as part of a Russian effort to dissuade Washington from deploying missile defenses in Eastern Europe, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, June 19).

Moscow has criticized U.S. plans to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a tracking radar in the Czech Republic.  Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed allowing the United States to use the Azeri radar instead (see GSN, June 7).

“We confirmed Azerbaijan's readiness for the joint use by Russia and the United States of the radar station in Gabala and we signed the relevant protocol,” Azeri Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said yesterday.

U.S. officials have said they would study the offer, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week that any cooperation in Azerbaijan would not replace U.S. plans in Poland and the Czech Republic (see GSN, June 15).

Meanwhile, neighboring Armenia has expressed concern over the proposal.

“The hosting of antimissile stations in Europe is the business of Russia, Europe and the U.S., but when it is a question of Azerbaijan, this interests and worries us, as it concerns our region," said Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.

A senior Russian official yesterday reaffirmed Moscow’s belief in the limited threat posed by Iranian ballistic missiles pose a minimal threat, the same threat Washington has used to justify its East European plans.

“We do not see any kind of threat from Iran,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a meeting of foreign ministers in Tehran.  “Thus, we do not understand why in order to justify the installation of a U.S. antiballistic missile system in Europe you have to bring up the pretext of a genuine Iranian threat” (Stuart Williams, Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, June 20).

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