Moldovan energy minister comments on upcoming visit to Russia for talks with energy giant Gazprom

Moldovan Energy Minister Victor Parlicov has announced that his trip to St Petersburg for talks on Russian gas supplies to Transnistria is scheduled for 25 November. [Transnistria is a Russian-backed breakaway quasi-state, which is internationally recognised as the territory of Moldova]

Source: Moldovan news outlet NewsMaker, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Parlicov, commenting on his visit to St Petersburg, Russia, scheduled for 25 November, said he "understands" that a visit to "Russia, which is an aggressor country, is a sensitive issue".

"But these are our options. Either you go and discuss, or you don't go and don't discuss. If you don't come and discuss, then, in my opinion, you lose the opportunity to solve the problem," Parlicov said.

He stressed that it is essential for Moldova to get clarity from Russian energy giant Gazprom on the issue of gas supplies to the Transnistrian region.

"We've drawn up 12 different scenarios of what will happen in this or that case. We'll be able to cope even with the scenario in which the transit and supply of Russian gas to the Transnistrian region is interrupted, but this is not the best scenario," the journalists quoted the Moldovan minister as saying.

Parlicov said Chișinău is concerned about the possibility of gas supplies being cut off after 1 January.

"Everyone knows that the Transnistrian region is completely dependent on this gas. If there's no more of this de facto free supply, the region won't be able to function. And there are our citizens there. And the social and economic collapse of the region, which is home to weapons, the Russian military, and ammunition, creates much greater security risks at the regional level," he said.

Therefore, he noted that the country is "interested in and in favour of maintaining gas supplies to the Transnistrian region, at least during this period, to maintain calm".

"No one wants to destabilise the situation," the Moldovan minister explained.

He said the Moldovan delegation at the talks intends to "understand whether Gazprom will fulfil its contractual obligations to supply gas to the Transnistrian region, even if there is no transit through Ukraine".

"If not, it's another thing. We need clarity on this issue as soon as possible to prepare for a scenario in which supplies are cut off. If this happens, it will be hard for us all," added Parlicov.

Background: 

• Moldova refused to purchase Russian gas after the Kremlin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, instead buying it on the European market. However, Gazprom continues to supply gas to Transnistria, which provides Moldova with most of its electricity.
• In the summer of 2023, the Moldovan government prepared three scenarios for the heating season, one of which allowed for the resumption of purchases from Gazprom for the needs of the country, excluding Transnistria.
• In early October 2024, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that Kyiv was not considering extending the transit agreement with Russia's Gazprom after the current deal expires in 2024.
• Parlicov later met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Herman Halushchenko, during a visit to Kyiv, where they discussed energy cooperation and the security of Moldova's natural gas reserves in Ukraine.

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