An eventual halt in the supply of gas by Gazprom to the Transnistrian region will have dramatic consequences from humanitarian viewpoint, said the president of the Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association Angela Grămadă. According to her, if the gas supply to the Transnistrian region is stopped, Russia will have to additionally finance the Transnistrian region so as to keep it afloat, IPN reports.
Angela Grămadă noted that this would be a harsh blow to the economy of the Transnistrian region and, in the absence of energy resources, Moscow will have to additionally finance this separatist entity.
“We will see if that agreement on the separation of gas suppliers, I refer to the energy agreement between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, will affect the Transnistrian side as, if the supply of gas to the Transnistrian region is stopped, the consequences could be dramatic from humanitarian viewpoint. If Gazprom closes the faucet, it will assume considerable responsibility as it will have to further finance the Transnistrian region for this to survive. The costs are rather high in Ukraine and in other parts for the Russian Federation. So, it cannot afford to open new financial support lines for other regions,” Angela Grămadă stated in the program “Reflection Points” on Vocea Basarabiei channel.
According to the expert, the war in Ukraine creates preconditions for the reintegration of the Republic of Moldova to be raised more often on international platforms.
“At the moment, there is a window of opportunity at least for speaking out much more actively at international level and using the international platforms to find an optimal solution so as not to later return to its revision for the Transnistrian conflict. We do not yet use these small opportunities offered by the regional context and are late in providing a reintegration strategy. The Russian Federation didn’t hesitate to use the Transnistrian region to exert pressure on the authorities in Chisinau, but this does not mean that the recognition of the Transnistrian region as an independent state would suit Russia. Why? Because when you recognize the independence of that region, you practically lose an instrument of control over the authorities in Chisinau,” noted the president of the Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association.
Earlier, decision makers in Kyiv announced that Ukraine at the end of 2024 will no longer extend the agreement on gas transit with Russia. Such a decision would leave the Transnistrian region without the free gas supplied by Gazprom. Moldova’s Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov said that if Ukraine bans the transit of Russian gas, Energocom will purchase gas on the international market for both sides of the Nistru.
