LIVE TEXT // Victor Parlicov, after the visit to Saint Petersburg: The risk of an energy crisis is imminent
Will Russian gas reach the Transnistrian region after January 1, when the transit agreement signed between Ukraine and the Russian concern Gazprom is set to expire? If so, by which route, in what volumes, at what cost and who will bear the new tariffs? Two days ago, Energy Minister Victor Parlicov met in St. Petersburg with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. The Minister Victor Parlicov is currently announcing the agreement reached with representatives of the Russian concern. Watch the statements live on Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova.
Rezultatele negocierilor cu Gazprom: principalele declarații
- Chisinau has not reached any decision with Gazprom. The Russian concern insists that the Republic of Moldova pay off the alleged debts for Russian gas, to decide whether to deliver, how much to deliver, and under what conditions to deliver Russian gas via the Trans-Balkan route, i.e. via Turkey.
Victor Parlicov: "We consider it unfair to condition deliveries on the left bank on the settlement of an alleged historical debt, even if they do not recognize the audit".
Gazprom requested that Chisinau talk with Kiev to convince the Ukrainian authorities to extend the transit agreement, which expires on January 1, 2025. "We have talked with the Ukrainian side, we understand that this decision may be made at the last minute. Of course, for this scenario it is simpler, and we have communicated this to the Ukrainian side that if the transit through Ukraine were to be preserved, this would be a simpler scenario. But everyone is aware that there are alternative routes,” says Parlicov.
At the moment, Chisinau is not certain that there will be gas for the left bank and if there will be, under what conditions and in what volumes.
The scenario of a crisis in the Transnistrian region, starting with January 1, is a real one. If this happens, without external help, the Republic of Moldova cannot cope. “We must really prepare, right now, for the crisis scenario from January 1,” says Parlicov.
Chisinau must and will take care of the citizens on the left bank of the Nistru, assures the Minister of Energy. “We have no other solution”.
Moldova's alleged debt to Gazprom: 2023 audit results
In September 2023, Chisinau presented the results of an external audit regarding the alleged historical debt that our country has accumulated to the Russian giant Gazprom for natural gas supplies. On the one hand, Gazprom claims that the debt amounts to over $700 million – a figure denied by Chisinau. On the other hand, the audit results indicated that a large part of the amount requested by Moscow would not be justified by official documents. As a result, in 2023, Chisinau proposed to the Russian concern $8.6 million of the requested amount.
After the audit results were made public, both Prime Minister Dorin Recean and President Maia Sandu declared that the Republic of Moldova has no intention of paying non-existent debts.
In response, Gazprom stated that it "does not agree at all with the statements of the Moldovan side and intends to continue to defend its rights by all possible means." We would like to point out that the audit results were not recognized by Moldovagaz, the subsidiary of the Russian concern Gazprom, either.
