Russia ready to sell S-300 to Azerbaijan: Does Baku need it to protect against Iran?

Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Moscow's readiness to sell two divisions of S-300 PMU-2 Favorit anti-missile complexes. The amount of the possible contract is at least $300m, reports Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta (NG), citing sources in the ministry.

According to NG one more fact indicative of the plausibility of the deal is Azerbaijani military students have been studying at the military academy of Airspace Defense in Tver where they study also anti-missile S-300.

The source considers that Rosoboronexport was right to dismiss statements about the sale of Favorits to Baku found in the press earlier last week.

According to Azerbaijani news website News.az Chief of the Russian presidential administration Sergey Narishkin arrived in Baku on Sunday and he is expected to discuss preparation for the upcoming September official visit of President Dmitri Medvedev to Azerbaijan. It is not specified whether the sides will sign a contract for the purchase of S-300 PMU-2.

General-lieutenant Yuri Netkachev formally there are no obstacles for the sale of new modern missile defense systems to Azerbaijan. He said the amount of the possible contract could be $300m, almost 15% of Azerbaijan's defense budget for two divisions of Favorits which proves that they will be supplied directly from the plant: "It will likely be the complexes which we prepared for supplies to Iran."

Favorit is a targeted weapon for protection from possible airspace attack against big strategic and industrial establishments. Therefore, Russian complexes will be deployed in Absheron peninsula and are likely protect oil terminals of the BTC pipeline and Baku itself", Netkachev said adding that purchase of S-300 is just related to possible resumption of hostilities against Armenia.
Another reason for the deployment of S-300 is that Iran might target the BTC pipeline should US and Israel attack Iran.