Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov said that in St. Petersburg he raised the continuity of gas supplies on the left bank of the Nistru, given the uncertainty about the transit through Ukraine from January 1. According to the official, the representatives of Gazprom said the issue of transit through Ukraine is to be resolved by the Moldovan side with the Ukrainian side. However, when it came to alternative routes, the Russian company linked the subject of the continuity of gas supplies to the repayment of the alleged debt of the right bank, IPN reports.
"Gazprom knows about this uncertainty and they say they cannot solve this problem. They told us to talk to the Ukrainian side, to convince them to continue this transit. We discussed with the Ukrainian side previously and we understand that this decision can be a last-minute one. Of course, for us it would be a much simpler scenario – and we communicated this to the Ukrainian side – if transit through Ukraine is maintained. But everyone is aware that there are alternative routes and the purpose of the visit to St. Petersburg was to make sure that Gazprom will honor its obligations after January 1, regardless of whether the gas is transited through Ukraine or not," Victor Parlicov said at a press conference.
But, he noted, the discussion here was more complicated. Gazprom links the subject of the continuity of gas supplies through alternative routes, via Turkey, to the subject of repayment of the alleged debt of the right bank. "In a way, they say that if there is no progress on the debt, they will consider what is possible and what is not. They implied that these topics are related. Our position on debts is based on that audit that concluded that practically the whole debt is time-barred. The Russian side does not recognize the results of the audit, but has not offered an alternative. I requested that the Russian side formulate its position," said the minister.
The contract with Gazprom provides for the supply of gas up to the border with the Republic of Moldova. However, this contract was previously unilaterally amended and it is not excluded that this will happen again. "I don't think it's fair to make the supplies conditional on the solving of a historical problem because these alleged debts are historical. Today, there are no more debts on the right bank and this problem must be treated as such," said Victor Parlicov.
The minister also said that the authorities will turn to international partners. "Without the support of international partners, we will not be able to overcome the scenario in which the Transnistrian region does not have gas at all or does not have enough gas. Technically and commercially, there are solutions. Now we are working with international partners to prepare in the event that there are no supplies or the supplies are insufficient," stated the official.
