BAKU. July 11 (Interfax-AVN) - The U.S. will consider the inclusion of the Gabala radar station, which is being rented by Russia from Azerbaijan, in its missile defense system, said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.
Speaking to journalists in Baku on Saturday, Steinberg said the U.S. is exploring various possibilities, and, since the Gabala radar station has a good potential, the U.S. will consider this option.
The U.S. administration is aware of the need to reach an agreement on using the Gabala radar station with the Azeri government, Steinberg said, adding that he had discussed this issue with President Ilham Aliyev on Friday.
The negotiations that U.S. President Barack Obama had with the Russian leadership during his visit to Moscow earlier this week focused, in particular, on cooperation on missile defense, Steinberg said.
Obama made it clear during this visit that the U.S. would give a priority to looking for ultimate options of such cooperation, and the use of the Gabala station could be part of these discussions, Steinberg said.