Member of the European Parliament Siegfried Muresan considers the friendship between the President of Moldova Igor Dodon and the Russian President Vladimir Putin affects the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. In a political press statement, quoted by IPN, the MEP says, with reference to figures published by the press in Russia and Moldova, that the average price paid by Chisinau for 1,000 cubic meters of gas is by 20% higher than the one paid by Germany, for example, to Gazprom.

“The Russian Federation wants a Republic of Moldova dependent on its gas imports and profits from this, asking a price that is by 20% higher than that for Germany, even if the economic situation of the Moldovan citizens is much more precarious than that of the Germans,” said Siegfried Muresan, noting that the annual bill paid by the Republic of Moldova to Russia for natural gas is of €400 million.

According to the MEP, this is the difference between the Russian Federation, of which President Igor Dodon shows to be a devoted friend, and the European Union. The EU wants to have an equal and stable partner in the Republic of Moldova and helps it with non-repayable funding. During 2007-2015, Moldova received €782 million in financial assistance from the EU. During 2014-2020, €742 million in non-repayable aid will be allocated from the EU’s multiannual budget to Moldova.

Siegfried Muresan noted that the EU helps Moldova to get rid of the gas dependence on Russia and finances, together with Romania, the construction of the Iasi-Ungheni and Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline. Also, the EU, as real friend and partner of the Republic of Moldova, increased the import quotas on fruit and fully removed the quotas on the import of wines from Moldova when the Russian Federation banned the import of these products. It’s clear for everyone that it is the EU, not Russia that is the real friend of Moldova.