Maia Sandu: We run the risk of remaining without Russian gas after January 1st , but we have technical solutions

Prime Minister Maia Sandu says that there is a risk that from January 1, 2020, the Republic of Moldova will remain without Russian gas if Ukraine bans its transit on its territory. The head of the government says it is a difficult situation, but the Government has been preparing for it and has technical solutions. The statement was made on "In depth" show, PRO TV Chisinau, IPN reports.



"We have solutions as regards the country’s natural gas supply. One of them is to store natural gas in Ukraine, to buy it earlier, at a lower price because it will get higher in winter. We also discuss identifying financial resources because substantial financial resources will be needed to accomplish this,” said Maia Sandu.



According to her, there are other options as well, but they depend on whether the other countries, which have to complete certain projects, succeed by the end of the year. "We are also discussing that with the EU. Everyone understands that the situation is complicated and we will definitely have these technical solutions, only that it will be a complicated situation for us: we will need extra money. We will not run out of gas,” specified the head of the government.



At the same time, the prime minister says that the Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline constitutes an alternative for only three districts. That is, if it were to operate at full capacity, three districts from the Republic of Moldova could be supplied with gas. "On the territory of the Republic of Moldova the project will be completed by the end of this year. Unfortunately, on the Romanian territory the project will only be finalized by the middle of next year. I don't think we can use it in January,” the prime minister said.



The head of the Cabinet of Ministers mentioned that documents have been recently submitted to the International Monetary Fund, showing that the Republic of Moldova has met all the conditions for the next loan instalment to be disbursed. "This means that we will have access to the IMF's money and, just as important, it will give us access to the money from the European Union's macro-financial assistance, which is vital because it means over one billion lei, money to be obtained this autumn so that salaries, pensions and other absolutely necessary expenses can be covered."



Also, Prime Minister Maia Sandu firmly stated that ACUM bloc put forward Andrei Năstase, the chairman of the Dignity and Truth Platform Party, as candidate for the local elections in Chisinau. Maia Sandu says the decision was taken a while ago.

Năstase candidat