BAKU CAN ESTABLISH ITS OWN CENTER FOR ELECTRONIC MONITORING: INTERVIEW OF RASIM MUSABEKOV
Rasim Musabekov is an independent political analyst.
Regnum, Russia
Aug. 16, 2006
REGNUM: Mr. Musabekov, recently, following example of Radio liberty,
some Azerbaijani and foreign media have been speculating on the
subject of deploying a US radiolocator "in a Caucasian country for
monitoring a possible missile launch towards Europe." The report
says that the distance to Iran should be as short as possible. Do
you think that taking into consideration close military relations
between Armenia and Russia and the fact that Georgia has no border
with Iran it really goes about Azerbaijan?
Radars in Azerbaijan have been deployed not now. We have already had
two radars deployed with the US assistance, one in the north, the
other one in the south. As for monitoring… Nowadays, it is carried
out by stationary radars only by some not very clever officers from
the Russian Army General Staff. Missile launches have been monitored
by satellites for a long time. Well, there are things that cannot be
detected by satellites, earlier they were registered by AWACS.
Though, deployment of an American radar for some other purposes is
not ruled out. However, in all the cases Azerbaijan has been quite
careful and prudent, and if there is need to construct something of
the kind, it will be our own center for electronic monitoring. If
the USA helps to establish it, they will gain an opportunity to use
the information received in the center.
REGNUM: Azerbaijan does already have such a center, quite a big one:
it is Darial station in Gabala, inherited by it from the USSR and
rented by Russia till 2012…
The situation with the Gabala radiolocation station is quite
different. It is managed by Russians, and according to an agreement,
they share the information with Azerbaijan. One should admit,
it is completely different from the two radiolocation systems, in
construction of which Americans assisted Azerbaijan. Our specialist
manage the stations and share the information with US experts.
REGNUM: Well, in 2012 the Gabala radiolocation system will be
handed over to Azerbaijan fully as well. According to the Kommersant
newspaper, Russia does not intend to prolong the contract, as the
station, which was constructed in 1985, in six years will exhaust
most of its potential. After completing construction of the more
effective Darial DM system of new generation at St. Petersburg,
Russian specialists will install it in the Russian part of Caucasus
Mountains…
No doubt, Russia would make a sensible decision. Why should they invest
in modernizing a radiolocation station in another country, where the
situation can change in an unpredictable direction, when they can
construct something on their own, which will be more effective, and,
moreover, they can place it in their territory? As for Azerbaijan,
it has at least six years for settling the problem with the Gabala
radiolocation station.