Ionita: The Iasi-Chisinau Gas Pipeline Is an Advantage for Moldova’s Energy Security

Romanian Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Daniel Ionita claimed that the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline, that was completed this summer, is a strategic goal for the Republic of Moldova’s energy security. According to him, as a result of this project implementation, the Republic of Moldova can now conduct other negotiations with the main natural gas supplier, ipn.md reported. “It is not my function to go into issues related to technical functioning or financial and economic efficiency of this gas pipeline. However, I can note that this gas pipeline is, first of all a strategic project, which is an advantage for the Republic of Moldova’s energy security. It is an alternative to the pipeline, which until now has only had one direction. Now, having a second pipeline, you can at some point be able to negotiate a different level even regarding the first pipeline. Whether gas will flow through this pipeline or not, it is not in my authority to talk about, ” the ambassador said during the program“ Punctul pe AZi ”on TVR Moldova. At the same time, the Romanian diplomat admitted that this project was implemented with difficulties. “This pipeline started many years ago and has passed through many Moldovan governments. This pipeline ended with difficulties and not necessarily because the Romanian side had delays but because we had to get through many stages to start everything running in the Republic of Moldova. I don't think we need to go into details. If there was no political will, then this gas pipeline would not have been implemented so far. This gas pipeline is an energy alternative that at some point can be used by the Republic of Moldova. The important thing is that it exists and from that moment on, what we will do with it will depend only on the authorities,” Daniel Ionita said. Prime Minister Ion Chicu announced in early September, that the project was put into operation but it will only be functional if it is economically efficient. The prime minister specified as well that the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline is an alternative to the Republic of Moldova’s gas supply, which has significantly increased the country's energy security.