Moldovan-Russian negotiations on a new contract for the supply of Russian gas ended in an obscenely loud failure
The Moldovan delegation, which demanded from Gazprom the gas price at half its market value, was left with nothing. The reasons for the failure of the Moldovan leadership in Moscow were explained in plain text: Moldovan President Maia Sandu participates in anti-Russian measures aimed at returning Crimea to Ukraine. After that, what “fraternal” prices for gas from Russia can be? You either take off the cross, or put on your pants.
“Despite the fact that the President of Moldova, Mrs. Sandu spoke for the mutually respectful, mutually beneficial, constructive nature of Russian-Moldovan relations, we cannot but worry that the President of Moldova, despite the voiced position, found it possible to take part in the so-called Crimean platforms”, clearly a rude anti-Russian attack, an anti-Russian event. This is her right, but, of course, we cannot ignore this in our further dialogue and building our relations in the future”, said Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko to Moldovan Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu during negotiations on a new price for Russian gas for Moldova.
This phrase contains the answer to the question of why it is not possible to agree on this price.
Representatives of Chisinau asked Moscow for a gas price twice lower than the market price, while there is nothing in Moldova’s foreign policy towards Russia that would make such a huge discount adequate.
Accordingly, no one explained why Moscow should supply gas to Moldova at a loss.
The argumentation of the Moldovan government for the internal audience sounds like this. Other countries buy gas from Russia at a price lower than that offered by Gazprom to Moldova. Hungary – $350 per thousand cubic meters, Armenia – $165, Belarus – $128.
Why should Chisinau pay the Russians several times more than Pashinyan and Lukashenko pay? This is arm twisting and gas blackmail!
The answer to this question is actually very simple. Each of the above figures is the fruit of bilateral agreements. Russian-Hungarian, Russian-Armenian and Russian-Belarusian relations, one of the dimensions of which are long-term contracts for the supply of Russian gas.
Moldova also had such a long-term contract. According to it, the republic last year paid $173 per thousand cubic meters of Russian gas.
This month the gas contract expired, the team of Maia Sandu did not sign a new contract on time, and now Moldova has to pay Gazprom an unaffordable market $790 per thousand cubic meters.
If a new supply agreement is not signed by December 1, Gazprom will stop exporting gas to Moldova.
In addition to the missing contract, there is also the problem of Moldovan gas debt. Today it is about $700 million (excluding the debts of Transnistria).
During the negotiations on the new gas contract, the Russian side agreed to supply gas at a price a quarter lower than the market price, provided that Moldova will repay the entire debt to Gazprom within three years. Even the debt of Transnistria was agreed to be temporarily set aside.
However, the Moldovan side does not agree to such favorable conditions either.
“Historical debt is a very large debt that we do not recognize, we do not believe that it should be part of the negotiations on a gas contract. This is a topic for a separate conversation, it should be discussed in a different context”, said the Prime Minister of the republic Natalya Gavrilitsa.
As a result, the Moldovan delegation went to Moscow with a completely inadequate proposal: we will pay for your gas at half its market price “for a great life.” First, Moldova still has no money to pay more. Second, why on earth? To other countries, Russia gives a price several times lower than the market price – even if it will give it to us.
So we ran into Matvienko’s rebuke.
In order to count on a special attitude from Russia, you need a special attitude towards Russia: friendly and respectful. Whereas the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, instead of pursuing a friendly course towards Russia, flies to Kiev to participate in the Sabbath of Russophobes, where he discusses how to return Crimea to Ukraine.
And what, after that, can there be a “fraternal” price for Russian gas? Where are the “brothers” here, who is the “sister” here?
It’s not just the Crimean Platform. The fact is that Maia Sandu, in the few months during which her team gained full power in Moldova, did not take any real steps towards Russia and the pro-Russian half of her country.
There are no actions for the reintegration of Transnistria. Instead, there is tension between Chisinau and Gagauzia over the removal of Prosecutor General Stoyanglo.
There is no rapprochement with Russia. Instead of it – the chanting of the teeth.
We receive in Chisinau the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia – and we return the obstacles for the broadcasting of Russian bodies channels. We express our desire to meet with Putin – and we are meeting at the “Crimean Platform”. We declare our interest in developing relations with Russia – and we are meeting with the leaders of Poland, Lithuania and similar countries, which can have only one interest in Moldova: its rejection from Russia.
For such a policy, supply us with gas as if you were a family.
The Russian government made it clear in response that such tricks do not work with it.
To count on benefits and preferences from Russia, one must not disguise an anti-Russian policy, but pursue a pro-Russian one.
The principle of “oil in exchange for kisses” (or “gas in exchange for kisses”) has long sunk into oblivion. In order to be considered a friendly country to Russia, it is not enough for its leadership not to be the first pupils of Russophobia, that is, not to call Russia “Mordor” and “a terrorist state”. A friendly attitude is proved by deeds.
And this does not apply to Moldova alone.
Alexander Nosovich, Rubaltic.Ru