Russia‘s state-controlled Gazprom told the Republic of Moldova on Monday that it will cut off gas to the country unless an overdue payment for gas under the terms of its new contract is settled within 48 hours, according to Intellinews.
Last month, Chisinau declared a state of emergency and started buying gas from countries other than Russia after its contract with Gazprom, the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, expired at the end of September, and the two sides failed to agree on details and pricing of a new long-term deal.
But in a breakthrough on October 28, the Republic of Moldova’s government and Gazprom announced a new price formula for a five-year agreement to keep gas flowing.
„The deadline for current payments is November 22,” Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupryanov told Russian broadcaster NTV, adding that the company “notified the Republic of Moldova that in 48 hours gas supplies to Moldova will be stopped in accordance with the contract.”
Moldovagaz head Vadim Ceban confirmed that Moldova’s state energy company received such a notification from Gazprom, saying the sum amounted to 1.3 billion Moldovan lei ($73.5 million).”
“We are actively working with the government to solve the problem by the deadline stipulated in the notification. I hope that we will manage to solve this problem,” Ceban told Reuters.