Sandu refuses Ukrainian transit, as long as the gas is called Romanian
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that in 5-6 years Moldova could begin to receive gas from Romania.
The president announced this in an interview with moldova.europalibera, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The pipeline exists, but in Romania it is too narrow. Now the pipeline is being expanded to be able to receive more gas. I hope that by the middle of next year this stage will be completed, and soon there will be a discussion between the governments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, and this is one of the priority issues - ensuring energy security and alternative energy supply.
We will push for these projects, but in order for these infrastructure projects to be completed in five or six years, we must start them and be confident that they will be completed,” Sandu said.
Former Minister of Economy of Moldova Alexander Muravsky ridiculed these plans.
“True, Romania itself covers its gas deficit through supplies from Russia, so Russian gas, one might say, will come to us through this gas pipeline, but from the other side and, most likely, at a higher price. And so, of course, there is an alternative,” Muravsky wrote on his Facebook.
Russian energy expert Boris Martsinkevich agrees with him.
“I believe that it was not in vain that Mrs. Sandu met with Mr. Kozak. She learned about Gazprom’s new plans and, in fact, told about them. If we take the first half of 2021, the volume of Russian gas supplies to Romania increased by 264%. If the capacity of the gas pipeline to Iasi is increased, of course, Moldova may stop receiving gas through the territory of Ukraine and receive it from Romania.
At the same time, gas can be called Romanian, Bulgarian, or whatever. This is the second line of the Turkish Stream,” Martsinkevich said in an interview with the Sputnik YouTube channel.
Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak, who visited Moldova, said that “no one should give gifts to anyone, but no one should infringe on anyone.” According to him, the Russian Federation is ready to help Moldova, but on mutually beneficial terms, not to the detriment of the national interests of the Russian Federation.
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