By 1 January 2013, Moldova will have an updated legal framework that will ensure greater stability of gas supplies for both our country and the countries that receive Russian gas via Moldova, Economy Minister Valeriu Lazar told a program on Radio Moldova. “Negotiators at Moldovagaz and Gazprom received recommendations formulated at the 13th meeting of the Moldo-Russian Economic Cooperation Commission to step up negotiations over the weeks to come”, said Valeriu Lazar. It is likely the upcoming agreement with Gazprom will have a duration of one year. “We don't expect any major price cut, because this would've required greater concessions. It's not worth putting an immediate interest first and lose a future interest, which is much more important”, said Lazar. According to him, the task is to avoid a rise in the gas price for next year, or better obtain a small discount, to relieve the burden on final consumers at least in the short tun. “In the medium and long run, the dialogue with the Russian partners will continue, including on matters related to the Third Energy Package, the debt accumulated by the eastern side of the Nistru, and other issues”. “I think that in the dialogue with the Russian side, we've got over such conditions as the withdrawal from the Third Energy Package. Our position is firm and consistent: we won't withdraw from the the Energy Community Treaty. But we have enough openness and we've also demonstrated our capacity to convince partners in Europe that we've got to show a more relaxed approach to dealing with Gazprom on matters concerning future investments into Moldova”, said Lazar. When Moldovagaz's Board meets in Moscow on November 27, the Moldovan government will present its vision on how this company could conciliate the interests of its majority Russian shareholder Gazprom with the partial or integral implementation of the Third Energy Package. “I feel we've overcome the critical point: discussions are now calmer. We are offering the requested information and explanations to our Russian colleagues. At the same time, we are awaiting a formal consent from the European Commission to Moldova's request to delay implementation of the Energy Package's gas component so that we can offer to our Russian colleagues, in particular to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, a 'signed and sealed document', as he requested. We want to be fair with them as well as with other partners who we are cooperating with”. Each year, roughly 20 billion cubic meters of Russian gas are transited through Moldova.