Romania aims to connect Moldovan gas transport to the European pipeline network to help Moldova fight against Russia’s gas blackmail, Romanian gas company Transgaz said in comments to Romanian outlet Agerpress. The gas will be delivered along the Iaşi-Ungheni pipeline, completed in 2013, with an extension pipeline to the capital Chisinau built in 2019.
Moldova was entirely dependent on Russian gas until Russian state gas company Gazprom cut its supplies to the country by 30% in October.
Gazprom threatened to turn off the gas entirely unless Moldova paid all its debts to the Russian state gas firm, then backed down on Nov. 28, while still floating the possibility of turning off the tap.
Gazprom says Moldova owes about $9 billion to Russia’s gas monopoly, a debt accumulated over decades because of non-payments from Russian-occupied Transnistria.
Moldova refuses to recognize the debt as its own as Russia occupies Transnistria. Unrecognized Transnistria currently uses about 40% of the gas imported by the country but do not pay the Moldovan government for it and refuse to discuss the issue.
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