If Gazprom fully stops the natural gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova, the Transnistrian region will have to pay in advance for the bought gas, said Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița. According to her, the Transnistrian region, as the right bank of the Nistru River, will be supplied with natural gas purchased from the international market. In accordance with the market rules, the gas needs to be paid in advance, IPN reports.
Premier Gavrilița said the uncertainty over energy aspects persists as Gazprom does not say it trenchantly if it will supply or not natural gas to the Republic of Moldova after October 1. From October 1, the Republic of Moldova is to pay a smaller gas price, but there is a risk that Gazprom will fully halt the supplies by invoking the absence of an end result in the audit to determine the debts of Moldovagaz.
“We have letters saying that we need to solve the problem of debts by October 1. We asked them to extend the time limit. We asked for clarity about the supply of natural gas and the volumes, but we do not yet have this clarity. If we accept natural gas from the international market or partners at an advantageous price, we first of all need to pay for the costumed gas and must pay in advance. It is not possible to supply natural gas to the left bank of the Nistru without payments in advance. There are possibilities. We can ensure connection with Ukraine, but payments for the gas need to be made in advance and we must have sufficient quantities,” Natalia Gavrilița stated in the program “Good Evening” on the public TV channel Moldova 1.
The Premier said the insistence at which the separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselsky asks for separate meetings with senior officials is due to the security crisis in the region and the effects of the Ukraine war on the economy of the Transnistrian region. “Things have changed. We have this war, have the border with Ukraine closed and also have other problems that we discuss more actively so as to try and maintain peace and security in the region. The situation is now different and Krasnoselsky wants to discuss the new circumstances but we communicate at institutional level,” stated the official.
