Tiraspol, November 23 / Novosti Pridnestrovya/ The statements distributed by the representative of the Moldovan Political Representative Office are speculative. This’s stated in the comment posted on the PMR Foreign Ministry official website.
The PMR Foreign Affairs Ministry emphasizes that Chisinau’s reaction is a futile attempt to justify its own clearly inadequate and extremely dangerous actions, which could turn into a deep crisis on a regional scale.
Particularly, the responsibility for reducing Russian natural gas supplies from October 1 is entirely on the Moldovan side. This fact was publicly confirmed by the Moldovan official representatives. On October 28, at a political representatives’ meeting, JSC Moldovagaz’s employees openly admitted that supplies were reduced due to protractions on the RM’s part in conducting the audit of Moldova’s historical obligation to PJSC Gazprom as well as protractions in paying current fees.
Such statements were recorded by every meeting participant, including international mediators and observers. Since the Pridnestrovian side doesn’t have any direct contractual relation with PJSC Gazprom, it oriented the Moldovan side to hold urgent negotiations with Russia.
“However, over months, neither the RM’s government nor the JSC Moldovagaz’s leadership took rational steps to organize a dialogue with the Russian side,” the commentary emphasizes. “Moreover, since November 1, Moldova has aggravated the crisis by starting unauthorized and unpaid Russian gas withdrawal, targeted under the contract at Pridnestrovian necessaries, in the amount of about 1.6 million cubic meters per day. Again, the evidence is the illegal nature of gas withdrawal is derived from the contract’s content, where the volumes for Moldova’s and Pridnestrovian necessities are fixed in numerical terms. And the fact that Chisinau hasn’t yet paid for the illegitimately “settling” volume of gas taken from Pridnestrovie was publicly confirmed by the RM’s Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu.
The entire responsibility for the social and economic crisis not only in Pridnestrovie but also in Moldova is on the RM’s government, which is illegitimately seizing Russian gas supplied to Pridnestrovie and refuses to search for any adequate, rational solution. The recommendation concerning the use of market economy instruments in the public sector is remaining on the Moldovan side of conscience.
“The fact is that as a result of such methods’ approbation in Moldova, the neighboring country is swept by a widespread popular protest wave caused by a massive inflation, the rising in the utility bills cost as well as a complex of other social and economic reasons,” the commentary emphasizes.
At the same time, the PMR Foreign Affairs Ministry reminded that Moldova is violating agreements on free movement. The actual Chisinau withdrawal from the 2019 gentlemen’s agreement and, as a result, restrictions, searches, and interrogations, including the PMR Supreme Council on November 19 became a vivid example of it.
Moreover, Moldova has repeatedly detained raw materials for Pridnestrovian enterprises, including cargoes of medicines, food, fuel, and plant protection products.
“Once again, we urge the Moldovan side to refrain from a destructive blackmail and non-fulfillment of its obligations in the negotiation process as well as from all unilateral actions leading to a deep crisis in the further parties’ relations,” the PMR Foreign Ministry reports in a commentary. “We also urge every mediator and observer to pay attention to the critical situation in the gas and energy sector as well as the goods’ import in Pridnestrovie, which is a looming humanitarian crisis, and make the necessary efforts to normalize the situation as soon as possible.”
We remind that in connection with the crisis that has developed in the Pridnestrovian energy sector, the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky together with the PMR Supreme Council Chairman Alexander Korshunov sent appeals to the United Nations and the Organizations for Security and Cooperation in Europe leadership. Every appeal notes that the situation requires urgent measures’ adoption to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Pridnestrovie.
