Gabala pullout won’t affect Russia’s security - officialDecember 15, 2012 - 14:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia’s decision to stop using the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan will not affect its security, Russian Defense Ministry official said on Saturday, Dec 15, according to RIA Novosti. “This is not critical for our country. The facility in Armavir (Krasnodar Region) is on experimental combat duty, and is already fulfilling the tasks of covering those areas for which the Gabala radar station had been responsible,” Deputy Defense Minister, Colonel General Oleg Ostapenko told RIA Novosti on Saturday. He stressed that the rocket attack warning systems are fully functional. “And, going forward, we will simply further grow our capacity,” he added. On December 10, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry went on record saying that Russia was abandoning the Gabala facility due to a disagreement over the rental terms. The next day the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Russia was no longer using the radar station, and that the Russian Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, “has sent a relevant note to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.” The lease, signed in 2002, was to expire on December 24, 2012. Talks between Moscow and Baku over extending the lease to 2025 had been underway for over a year. The Gabala station could track missile launches and trajectories over the territories of Iran, Turkey, China, Pakistan, India, Iraq and Australia, as well as most of Africa and parts of Indian and Atlantic oceans. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |