Moldova's Prime Minister Calls Debt to Gazprom 'Nonexistent'

Moldova's Prime Minister Dorin Recean, speaking on the Moldova 1 television channel, has opposed paying the $709 million debt to Gazprom, labeling it as 'nonexistent'.

'Gazprom is trying to condition further supplies on the payment of a nonexistent debt. We are not going to pay this debt,' Moldova 1 quoted Recean as saying.

At the same time, he stated that the country's authorities are 'determined' to ensure Moldova's energy security.

Last Monday, Moldova's Minister of Energy Victor Parlikov discussed natural gas supply issues for the republic with Gazprom's head Alexey Miller, along with the situation regarding the debt of Moldovagaz. The results of the meeting have not been disclosed in the press release from the Ministry of Energy, but it was noted that agreements had been reached to continue further consultations to find solutions.

In September 2023, Minister Parlikov presented the results of the audit of Moldovagaz's historical debt to Gazprom, based on which Chisinau proposed to pay Gazprom only $8.6 out of the $709 million. Gazprom stated that the audit of Moldovagaz's debt was conducted unilaterally and cannot affect the validity of the debt, and the Russian company disagrees with the Moldovan side's statements regarding the debt for supplied gas and will protect its rights.