Former president of Moldova, the leader of the Socialist Party Igor Dodon told about how the country can pay off the debt to Russia for gas. He stated this on the air of the NTV Moldova TV channel, RIA Novosti reports.
According to him, the current debts of Chisinau can be partially covered at the expense of the state budget, and partly at the expense of citizens. Nevertheless, historical debt, which is about 700 million dollars, can be returned only in two ways: either the Moldova’s power will transfer money to Moldovagaz from external or internal sources, or it will have to be given to price increases. The ex-head of state stressed that Moldova’s internal resources are not enough to pay off debt.
Earlier, Dodon stated that the new gas tariff for the country became the highest over the past 30 years. According to him, such prices will become a catastrophe for the economy and the population of the country. The ex-head of the state stressed that in the current situation without any compensation, the inhabitants of Moldova will not be able to pay such a tariff. In the near future, the prices for heating and the cost of electricity will increase, he added.
Moldova faced the energy crisis due to the contract ended in October with Gazprom. The republic wanted to conclude a new agreement on preferential terms, but the supplier demanded first to pay debt. On October 29, the country still managed to negotiate with Gazprom on the conclusion of the contract for five years, subject to the audit of debts in 2022. In Gazprom, the terms of the agreement were called mutually beneficial.