Press Review // Moldova and EU offer critical energy support to Transnistria
The front pages of publications in Moldova read about the decision made by the Chișinău authorities, with the support of European partners, to assist the Transnistrian region, which has been affected by the suspension of natural gas deliveries since the beginning of the year.
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Chișinău and the EU are offering help to the Transnistrian region to emerge from a crisis, headlines Radio Free Europe. The radio station’s website notes that the announcement of the aid package, which would "immediately end the energy crisis," comes shortly after separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselski from Tiraspol requested a "loan" of approximately 3 million cubic meters of gas, needed to maintain pressure in the gas pipelines.
In addition to the support package announced by Prime Minister Dorin Recean, several officials within the EU have expressed support for Moldova, TV8 reports. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, emphasized that tough times reveal true friends. Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, stated that "in the middle of winter, the Kremlin is using energy to blackmail the people of Moldova," calling it "outrageous, but not surprising."
“Moldova is undergoing energy asphyxiation,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Brussels before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, where the aid package was announced, as reported by Agora. The European Union's proposal to offer an emergency assistance package worth 30 million euros to support Moldova in addressing the "severe energy crisis caused by Gazprom" has triggered multiple reactions in the public sphere, observes Ziarul de Gardă.
WatchDog expert Valeriu Pașa notes that "some may not like this approach to 'saving the separatist region,'" and highlighted several issues: "If the Tiraspol regime becomes desperate, it will simply cut off the MGRES supply, leaving Moldova and a large part of Ukraine unable to import electricity from Romania. This would lead to power outages and sky-high electricity prices," he explains. On the other hand, as long as the only gas supply option for the left bank of the Dniester remains dependent on Russia's goodwill, they could provoke a crisis every two weeks, Pașa added.
The EU's intervention is a major step to prevent a humanitarian crisis at the border. In the long term, this approach suggests that the EU is ready to take on the costs (since energy is the most important component) of reintegrating Moldova, a process that cannot happen overnight, especially with Russian military units in the region. Pașa concluded, "Let's see if Krasnoselski will accept this help."
Chișinău is demonstrating persistence, principle, and promoting its policy of supporting the citizens of Moldova from the left bank of the Dniester. Political analyst Nicolae Negru expressed this opinion on TVR Moldova. However, he noted that the Tiraspol administration, under Moscow's instructions, could refuse the aid from Chișinău to prevent the restart of the Cuciurgan power plant and the supply of electricity to the right bank. In this situation, the EU intervenes to counter Russia's interference in Moldova's parliamentary elections, which will take place this year.
Moldova 1 quotes political analyst Ion Tăbîrță, who pointed out that now the Tiraspol regime must decide whether to act in the interest of the region's inhabitants or continue to follow the Russian Federation's scenarios. "Critical notes on Chișinău's decision have already appeared on Telegram channels," Tăbîrță remarked.
Proposed measures by Chișinău will have a short-term impact, and Tiraspol should accept them to avoid a major regional crisis. This opinion was shared by energy expert Eugen Muravschi on Moldova 1. According to him, "The 3 million cubic meters of gas loan to maintain pressure in the system and the purchase of gas from a European grant for Cuciurgan's electricity production are short-term technical and economic solutions." However, the Tiraspol regime has been irresponsible so far by rejecting the proposed solutions. "Perhaps now, when gas and coal supplies are running out, they will accept these temporary measures to avoid worsening the crisis," Muravschi speculated.
In the long run, Muravschi emphasized that a strategic approach is needed: "This aid should be directed at the population on the left bank of the Dniester, not the separatist regime. Long-term solutions should include political conditions such as access to the media from the right bank, the proper functioning of Romanian language schools, and other benefits for the citizens," the energy expert concluded.
Ziarul Național publishes the opinion of former Moldovan Defense Minister Anatol Șalaru, who criticized the EU's decision to aid Krasnoselski: "Since Russia has too many expenses and is busy killing Ukrainians, funding separatism is temporarily placed on Europe's shoulders." Șalaru is convinced that the European aid will be misunderstood by the people in Transnistria, notes Ziarul Național. "I can imagine how the people of Transnistria are praying for Ursula and other European leaders. In reality, the criminal regime in Tiraspol will likely claim that even Europe understood that the gas was cut off by Maia Sandu and is trying to fix the situation because they are scared of Russia's threats," Șalaru anticipates.
The government’s energy plan has been criticized by Slusari, who raised concerns about how the European financial support for the Transnistrian region is being managed, particularly regarding gas and electricity purchases. "The European Union provided a 30 million euro grant for gas purchases for Transnistria for 10 days, but despite Prime Minister Recean's recent promises, we are back to negotiating with Cuciurgan and the separatist administration, this time with European money," Slusari stated. He also pointed out contradictions in the government's plan, especially regarding the Hungarian company MOL. "We know that it was agreed that the transaction should go through Moldova Gaz, but now another intermediary has been chosen, and the question is why. Is it an arbitrarily selected parasitic company?" Slusari questioned, as reported by Bani.md.
Translation by Iurie Tataru