Gazprom threatened to stop the supply of gas to Moldova if the country does not pay off the debt and does not agree on the terms of the new contract

Gazprom will completely stop supplying gas to Moldova from December 1, if the country does not pay off the debt for fuel and does not agree on the terms of the new contract. This was reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the statement of the official representative of Gazprom Sergey Kupriyanov.

“At present, the body of the debt is $ 433 million, and taking into account the delay of payments, the total amount of debt is $ 709 million,” the agency quoted Kupriyanov as saying. He emphasized that the representatives of Moldova “for some reason do not want to recognize the accumulated amount of debt” and express dissatisfaction with the cost of gas.

Kupriyanov added that Gazprom is ready to extend the contract for November if the Moldovan authorities fully pay off the accumulated debts for deliveries in September and October 2021. According to the representative of Gazprom, then it is necessary to conclude a new agreement to supply gas.

On October 22, in connection with the gas shortage, the Moldovan authorities introduced the emergency regime in the republic, which will last until November 20. Earlier, in Moldova, due to the energy crisis, a regime of increased readiness was introduced . The country's Prime Minister Natalya Gavrilitsa emphasized that the introduction of an emergency regime is a technical solution, thanks to which the Moldovan authorities will be able to purchase the necessary volume of natural gas from alternative sources in the event of an emergency.

The crisis was caused by a sharp increase in fuel prices, as well as difficulties with the coordination of a new long -term contract with Gazprom for gas supply. The contract between Russia and Moldova was concluded in 2006 and subsequently repeatedly extended. The current contract of Moldovagaz with Gazprom has expired on September 30, and negotiations on its extension have not yet been completed. So far, the parties have agreed only on deliveries to October. Moreover, Moldova will have to buy gas at a price of $ 790 for 1 thousand cubic meters, while in September the price was $ 550 for 1 thousand cubic meters.

“The price of Gazprom for Gas for Moldova is not in the interests of our citizens,” said the deputy prime minister of Moldova Andrei his back, who took part in the negotiations in Moscow. In a conversation with Reuters, a source familiar with the content of negotiations said that Moldova asked Gazprom to halve the price offer. Another source told the agency that the company offered a reduction of 25%.

Given the Transnistria, Moldova on average consumes 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The share of consumption of the right -bank part of Moldova is 1.1 billion cubic meters. The debt of Transnistria for natural gas has already exceeded $ 7 billion. Despite the payment of gas consumed by industrial and household consumers, the authorities of the region will accumulate this money on the so -called “gas account”. With these funds, the budget deficit of the self -proclaimed republic is covered, the size of which reaches 45-50%.

Gas prices in Europe, in the main export market of Gazprom, began to grow in April, and in the fall, against the background of the growth of the energy crisis, they reached record indicators. On October 6, the cost of 1 thousand cubic meters of gas exceeded $ 1900.