Pressure is exerted on Moldova given the lack of energy security, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vlad Filat said. According to him, this pressure is aggravated by the fact that Moldova hasn’t signed a new contract for the supply of natural gas with Russia’s Gazprom for many years, the old contract being periodically renewed, IPN reports.

“We do not have a signed contract. We risk remaining without gas at yearend. The relations between Russia and Ukraine also affect us. We have reached an agreement with the Ukrainian partners to use other sources of gas so as to overcome this situation. Another risk is the possible extension of the ban on the export of other products to Russia, such as fruit and vegetables,” Vlad Filat said in the program “Fabrica” on the Romanian TV channel Realitatea TV.

The politician stated that the Moldovan authorities are obliged to do everything possible to overcome the difficult moments, to strengthen the capacities of the states, to make the institutions functional and to adjust the national legislation to the EU’s.

Vlad Filat also referred to the situation in Transnistria. “I cannot say that we are afraid of military intervention in the Transnistrian region, but we are concerned. We are permanently analyzing the situation. However, we are not alone. It’s a great difference compared with the situation of 2009. We now have foreign partners from which we can seek help. This means that we will not deviate from our national objective – to come closer to the EU,” he stated.

According to Vlad Filat, the government has its own country program on the European integration. “We do not simply move towards the EU. We do it with soul. This is the only project or the only path that can help us solve the multitude of problems we face,” he said.

He added that Moldova is close to meeting the criteria needed for joining the Schengen area. The country must now maximally profit from the liberalization of the visa regime with the EU and tend to become an accession candidate. Moldova sees in the European integration process a chance to become a powerful state with a prosperous future.