Gavrilita: Chisinau Does Not Want to Choose between Cheap Gas and Relations with the EU

If Moldova does not reach an agreement with Gazprom, the country will have to spend about 800 million euros on energy imports from other suppliers to meet the winter demand, which may require EU assistance. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Moldova Natalia Gavrilita in an interview with the Financial Times, ria.ru reports. “In these four or five months, the EU must make it clear that it supports Moldova ... Moldova needs very small volumes ...We hope that we can count on continued support,” the politician said. Commenting on the European Commission’s decision to allocate 60 million euros to Moldova so that the republic can manage the energy crisis, Gavrilita said that this money will help continue talks, without fear of time. She noted that the next two or three weeks will be crucial. “In these next few weeks, Moldova’s friends must take action ... otherwise, the country will face political, social and economic difficulties,” the prime minister said. Chisinau does not want to choose between cheaper gas and close relations with the European Union, said Natalia Gavrilita. As she told, she “would prefer not to be in such a position” in which she would have “to choose between cheaper gas and close relations with Brussels,” the newspaper writes. At the same time, Gavrilita declined to comment on whether Moldova had received proposals from European companies to purchase gas at a price below the market price as an alternative to Gazprom’s proposal. According to the politician, “there are no easy solutions”. “We are looking for a long-term contract, a price that will help us overcome the current price deviation. We are discussing various options with European partners,” she said. The politician also declined to comment on Gazprom’s proposal. However, Gavrilita noted that negotiations with Gazprom will continue, and Chisinau is always “open to partnership with Gazprom, as well as to “normal, economic and predictable relations”.