The negotiation and signing of a contract for the supply of gas with Gazprom was a test that was passed successfully by the current government following the energy crisis, consider representatives of the power. For their part, representatives of the opposition criticize the authorities for starting the talks too late and for not ensuring enough transparency. The gas price and its evolution will be yet seen and the developments will show if the formula agreed at the talks is correct. The subject was discussed in a public debate titled “Indulgence offered to the government expires. 100 days of rule in government’s, opposition‘s and society’s view” that was staged by IPN News Agency on November 1.
Adrian Baluțel, MP of the Party of Action and Solidarity, said the negotiations with Gazprom on a gas supply contract ended positively. It was announced that the price of gas for November will be US$450 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. It is noteworthy that the price is connected to a formula that can lead to a decline in prices in the future.
“During the 100 days in power, this was probably the most serious crisis and test for the current governmental team that was definitely passed successfully as the discussions were held strictly based on the interests of the Republic of Moldova amid maximum transparency and with a sincere discussion with society. Probably for the first time in the history of the Republic of Moldova, these negotiations on the gas subject were based on Moldova’s economic interests and we managed to maximally avoid the politicization of the gas supply contract. As a result, the citizens will have a correct gas prices,” noted Adrian Baluțel
Nicolae Pascaru, ex-MP of the Party of Socialists, said that he would not be as optimistic as the PAS MP over the natural gas crisis. Moldova practically annually faces such problems and the government evidently should have been ready to open talks in August. Owing to the latest political and geopolitical narrative, the good relations with their Russian Federation, which is a strategic partner, have been impacted. Consequently, the whole society will suffer and the people will pay more from the own pockets. Owing to the crisis, the larger enterprises – the sugar factory, cement and asphalt factories – were affected and the government should assume responsibility for this.
“I think an agreement with the Russian Federation could have been reached easier and with more advantageous terms. We should see greater transparently as regards this contract with the Russian Federation. We are really interested in the final price and we want to know if this final price will be included into the tariffs and the bills that will come at the end of the month to each family in the Republic of Moldova. As I said, this government is a failure for the Republic of Moldova. Regrettably, each year the citizens of this country go to the polls to elect a better government, but we failed again. We, the opposition, should criticize as they used very interesting slogans in the election campaign – “good times”. But we see that these good times will not come soon and will not be for everyone,” stated Nicolae Pascaru.
Igor Boțan, the standing expert of IPN’s project, said it is normal for the government to present the signing of the gas supply contract as a success amid a continental crisis that embraced not only Moldova. For its part, the opposition considers that if its representatives had been in power, the situation would have been solved better. But those from power can remind those from the opposition how they managed the previous gas crisis.
“The crisis was solved legally. We have a market price. We have a price calculation formula. Those who were to became involved and the involvement of the President wasn’t necessary,” said the expert.
According to him, the Russian company Gazprom addressed the issue from market positions and based on its interests. On the other hand, the Moldovan authorities said they didn’t make concessions and involved only commercial, not political factors. This is a compromise formula, but the evolution of the gas prices will be yet seen. The signing of the contract came as a relief for the citizens as gas will be, but this will definitely be more expensive.
The public debate “Indulgence offered to the government expires. 100 days of rule in government’s, opposition‘s and society’s view” was the 211st installment of the series of debates held as part of the project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates’ that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
