ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 2, 2007 Friday 01:42 PM EST

South Caucasian republics aren’t offered ABM elements

The three South Caucasian republics – Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia
– have denied receiving U.S. offers to host missile defense elements.

U.S. Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said in
Brussels on Thursday that the missile defense system, some of whose
elements will be deployed in Europe, will include a mobile radar
station that may be positioned in a Caucasian country. In his words,
the radar station will provide initial targeting for a larger radar
station in the Czech Republic.

He said the radar station would be portable and could be deployed in
any regional country within days. The radar station will be targeted
at Iran, not Russia, the general said. In his words, the station
won’t be powerful enough to detect launches of Russian missiles.

Azerbaijan is not holding any negotiations with the United States on
possible deployment of missile defense elements on its territory, the
Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

“The issue has never been discussed at Azerbaijani-American
negotiations either bilaterally or multilaterally,” the ministry
said. “Foreign bases in Azerbaijan would contradict the
constitution, while every military facility in this country is the
national property.”

The United States did not offer Georgia to deploy missile defense
elements on its territory, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament
Committee for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration David Bakradze
said on Friday.

“The United States is our strategic partner and ally. It is the
leader of the international fight against terrorism, while Georgia is
a member of the international anti-terrorist coalition. If the United
States offers Georgia to deploy missile defense elements, we will
closely consider this offer. However, we have not received one,” he
said.

The parliament opposition would not raise objections either. “The
deployment of missile defense elements in Georgia would strengthen
national security. It would be better for Georgia to have its own
anti-missile missiles, but as long as do not have such, it would be
good for a friendly nation like the United States to bring missile
defense elements to Georgia,” Democratic Front opposition faction
co-leader David Zurabishvili said.

“The United States did not offer Georgia to deploy missile defense
elements on its territory,” Georgian Foreign Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili told a Tuesday press briefing in Tbilisi.

The United States has not offered Armenia to deploy missile defense
elements on its territory, Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir
Karapetian told Itar-Tass on Friday.

The ministry learned about the U.S. plans to open a radar station in
the Caucasus from the media, he said.

Armenia develops air defense cooperation with Russia and is a part of
the CIS unified air defense system. An aviation squad of the 102nd
Russian base was put on duty in Armenia in May 2001, and an
anti-aircraft regiment of the 102nd base joined the CIS unified air
defense system in October 2001.

Armenia attributes large significance to the CIS system, as it helps
to control the republican skies, said Defense Minister Serzh
Sargsyan. The Armenian air defense and air force and the 102nd
Russian base jointly protect the skies of Armenia, he said.

The Russian base has an S-300 anti-aircraft regiment that controls
the entire territory of Armenia, Russian Air Force Commander Gen.
Vladimir Mikhailov said.