VZCZCXRO4565
PP RUEHDBU
DE RUEHKB #0847 1870638
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 060638Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3410
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 0017
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0688
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0025
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0629
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000847 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/CARC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR AJ RU LV
SUBJECT: LATVIAN PLANS TO OFFER AZERBAIJAN ASSISTANCE ON 
GABALA RADAR STATION 
 
REF: A. BAKU 219 
     ¶B. BAKU 154 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Donald Lu per 1.4 (b, d). 
 
¶1. (C) Poloff met with Latvian Ambassador to Baku Mikhails 
Popkovs on July 5, 2007, at Popkovs request.  Popkovs told 
poloff that as a NATO ally, and given the high-profile nature 
of issues surrounding missile defense and the Gabala station, 
that Latvia wished to inform the U.S. Embassy Baku that 
Latvia planned to offer to Azerbaijan to share with 
Azerbaijan, Latvia's experience with the Skrunda radar 
station (Skrundas lokators) in Latvia, with the intention 
that Azerbaijan could then apply these lessons to the Gabala 
radar station. 
 
¶2.  (C) Popkovs said that he had had telephonic contact with 
the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, morning of July 5, 
and that he had received permission to meet with Azerbaijani 
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov on July 6, and offer to 
share Latvia's experience with the Skrunda radar station with 
Azerbaijan, with the hope that it could be applied to the 
Gabala radar station, currently operated by the Russians in 
Azerbaijan.  According to Popkovs, the Skrunda radar station, 
which has since been destroyed, was a "Darjal"-type (Soviet) 
radar station, and was exactly like that at Gabala. 
Furthermore, Popkovs said that Skrunda was operated like 
Gabala, in that it was a completely closed facility to 
locals, and was operated by Russians.  Popkovs said that 
Latvia had "all the documentation" on Skrunda and that "many 
of the people were still around" who worked on Skrunda, and 
that Latvia was prepared to "share their experiences" (i.e. 
documentation and people) with Azerbaijan "in all areas". 
Popkovs highlighted that environmental and ecological areas 
of potential cooperation could have a positive effect for the 
population living around this radar station may be of primary 
interest, but that additional sharing of information may be 
useful in the coming years depending on what the results of 
potential Russian-United States cooperation on missile 
defense was. 
 
¶3.  (C) Popkovs admitted that potential "sharing" of 
information was initially broached by the Latvian side in 
September 2006, and that in his July 6 meeting with Azimov, 
Popkovs would propose that the issue be formally added to the 
Latvia-Azerbaijan "political dialogue" agenda.  However, he 
noted that Latvia had essentially "heard nothing" back from 
Azerbaijan after the initial proposal, and he pointed out 
that he did not expect much of a response from Azerbaijan on 
this proposal.  Poloff thanked Popkovs for the heads up about 
the proposal and said that he would inform the U.S. Embassy 
in Riga and the appropriate people in the USG about this 
initiative.  Poloff also noted that the proposal was timely 
for the U.S. side and that he would be sure that the relevant 
people participating in the U.S.-Azerbaijan security talks, 
scheduled to be held on 9-10 July 2007 in Washington were 
also aware of this proposal. 
DERSE