The European Union said on Wednesday (October 27) that after Gazprom raises prices, it will provide Moldova with 60 million euros to help deal with the natural gas crisis.
European Commission President Ursula von Delane promised in Brussels when he met with Moldova’s pro-Western Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilisa that the EU would “fully support” the former Soviet country.
Gavrilița said on Twitter that she was “deeply touched by the EU’s solidarity” and that the grant was “good news for the people of Moldova”.
The EU’s solidarity in meeting with the President of the European Commission was deeply moved @冯德莱恩.
The 60 million euro grant support to help manage the current energy crisis is good news for the government #Moldova People🇲🇩🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/bsjr9J9M1u
-Natalia Gavrilita (@natgavrilita) October 27, 2021
The Moldovan government declared a state of emergency and, after Gazprom raised prices in this impoverished country, it imported natural gas from outside Russia for the first time in its history, its master of the communist era.
The natural gas contract between Moldova and Gazprom expired at the end of September, and the two parties failed to reach an agreement on the new price.
Last week, Russian media reported that Gazprom threatened that if it cannot pay off its debts and sign a new contract before December, it will sever diplomatic relations with the country.
In the past few days, Moldova has been buying some natural gas in Europe, and the government has indicated that it will continue negotiations with Gazprom.
Energocom National Energy Company of Moldova said on Wednesday that it has purchased 1.5 million cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas, which is scheduled to be delivered through Ukraine and Romania on October 28. Natural gas will be supplied by DXT Commodities headquartered in Switzerland and PGNiG in Poland.
The Kremlin insists that the dispute is “absolutely commercial,” despite concerns that Moscow is using its energy resources to try to bring Moldova back to its rule after Gavrisa vowed to establish closer ties with the European Union.
The Kremlin denied media reports on Wednesday that the Russian company was using gas negotiations with Chisinau to try to obtain political concessions, and said the negotiations were purely commercial.
Located between Romania and Ukraine, this country of 2.6 million people receives natural gas from Russia through its pro-Moscow separatist region Transnistria and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month that European capitals’ accusations of Moscow’s use of energy as a geopolitical weapon during the global supply crunch are “baseless political nonsense”.
(Editing by Georgi Getoff)
