US funding upgrade of two radar installations in Azerbaijan: ambassador
By AIDA SULTANOVA
.c The Associated Press
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – The United States is funding the upgrade of
two Soviet-era radar installations in the Caspian Sea nation of
Azerbaijan, the U.S. ambassador said Friday.
Reno Harnish told reporters that the two-year upgrade of the sites
would help Azerbaijan fight contraband and other smuggling on the
Caspian Sea and help protect its territorial waters. He spoke to
reporters after meeting with Saudi Arabian diplomats in Baku.
Azerbaijani defense officials refused to comment on the installations,
one of which is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the
Russian border, while the other is some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from
the country’s border with Iran.
“The main purpose of this project is so that Azerbaijan can quickly
reveal attempts to bring contraband across the maritime borders,”
Harnish said. “These stations serve as objects of assistance for
Azerbaijan in preventing the smuggling of contraband, including
cigarettes and illegal drugs, and will serve to protect its
territorial waters.”
Harnish did not indicate how much the upgrade was costing.
Azerbaijani defense analyst Uzeyir Jafarov said U.S. intelligence and
military authorities could definitely use the stations to monitor
Iranian military communications.
“Without a doubt, the radars that are constructed will be used by
America for its military purposes if it is necessary,” Jafarov
said. “The technical possibilities of the stations will allow the
identification of cargo movements over a wide area, not only on the
Caspian Sea and on land, but also in the air, such as rockets and
their technical characteristics.”
Azerbaijan has stepped up its military cooperation with the United
States in recent years. It is the only predominantly Muslim country
that has contributed troops to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, where
about 150 Azerbaijani soldiers are serving.
The former Soviet republic, which also has contributed troops in
Afghanistan, is seeking U.S. support in modernizing its military and
resolving a territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia.
09/23/05 14:31 EDT