An eventual pause in the program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not excluded if the imposed conditions are in the country’s interests. Negotiations are possible and the discussions with the IMF continue. In this connection, a mission of the IMF will come to Chisinau on January 22, Prime Minister Ion Chicu stated in an interview for RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service that is quoted by IPN.
The official said that several days ago he had a meeting with the IMF Resident Representative in Moldova Volodymyr Tulin. They discussed their views on the program that ends on March 20 and the new program. “We will complete the given program. The first risk, as we said, is flexibility. The second risk is the IMF’s insistence on increasing domestic gas tariffs. If they insist, we will not continue the dialogue with the IMF. This is the position of the Government that assumed responsibility. I also answer for this,” stated Premier Chicu.
In another development, the official spoke about the Chisinau International Airport and Avia Invest Company that manages it. According to him, it does not matter who owns an offshore company, who the founder of Avia Invest is. The share capital of Avia Invest, which is the only company with which Moldova’s Government has contracts, was sequestrated and changes as to the founders cannot take place. There are two ways by which the executive can dispute the contract signed with Avia Invest because it is not satisfied with the way things stand and does not want to continue the cooperation. The first way was to declare the contract null and void for the reason that it was concluded illegally. The second way to have the contract terminated is to assess the way in which Avia Invest has fulfilled its investment obligations.
Premier Chicu also referred to the airports located in northern Moldova, in Mărculești and in Bălți. According to him, the Mărculești airport is a state facility that needs investments of 60-70 million for being able to operate passenger flights. “It’s clear that it is not an airport like that in Frankfurt or even that in Chisinau. It is a small, low-cost regional airport, but it can welcome passengers, can operate flights, inclining charter ones or flights for low-cost airlines, and there is demand. We analyzed how many people come from northern Moldova, from Cernăuți, Vinnița and other regions of Ukraine and how many fly from the airport in Iasi or from other airports in the region. These people can be attracted to the Mărculești airport. We think this airport can operate flights in June-July already if the state makes a minor investment. We do not consider this the main airport in northern Moldova and do not intend to invest much,” he stated.
