Moldova to pay $160 per 1,000 cubic meters of Russian natural gas starting July 1

Starting July 1, Moldova will purchase Russian natural gas at the price of USD160 per 1,000 cubic meters, according to the press release of the Company „Gazprom”. According to it, this price was set in Moscow within the meeting of the Moldovan Prime Minister, Vasile Tarlev, with the chairman of the Administration Council of the Company „Gazprom”, Alexei Miller. The company informs that during the meeting the parts have taken the decision to examine, until October 2006, the issues related to the conclusion of a long-term agreement regarding gas supply to RM, and in light of the agreement the price to gas would be determined by market principles, following the formula of building the price. On the other hand, the Press Service of the Moldovan Government issued a press release announcing that the parts have discussed about their further cooperation, the investments that „Gazprom” might make in the energy sector of Moldova, the conclusion of a long-term gas supply contract. Still nothing is said about the established price of USD160. In the first half of 2006, Moldova purchased Russian gas at the price of USD110 per 1,000 cubic meters. In 2005, „Gazprom” has supplied to RM 2,82 billion cubic meters of gas. The debt of Moldovan consumers for the gas supplied over the past years (without sanctions and penalties) is of 687,13 million dollars, including of the Transnistrian region - 565,3 million dollras.