Senator Alexey Pushkov. File photoMOSCOW, Jan 22Senator Alexei Pushkov called on Telegram for a tougher position on the gas issue in negotiations with Moldova after the anti-Russian statements of the country's President Maia Sandu. Earlier, on the air of the Romanian Pro TV channel, the head of state said that Russia allegedly sent «its people» to Transnistria in 1992 and provoked an armed conflict in the region in order to prevent Moldova from gaining independence from the USSR. «And what kind of readiness for cooperation does the Moldovan leadership expect from Russia after such statements? I think we were already excessively correct. With such statements from the President of Moldova, inciting hostility towards Russia «There is no reason to enter into the difficult financial situation of the Chisinau leadership. You have to pay for gas, and where Sandu gets the money is her business, not ours,» Pushkov wrote. even before the collapse of the USSR, fearing that on the wave of nationalism the republic and join Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the problem by force, Transnistria became a territory that was actually not controlled by Chisinau. Gazprom and Moldovagaz on October 29, after lengthy negotiations, extended the gas supply contract for a period of five years from November 1. The Russian holding said that, taking into account the situation in Moldova, it was decided to sign a contract practically on the terms of the other party, but subject to timely full payment for current deliveries. In November, the republic needed a delay. The country's authorities approved amendments to the state budget to pay off a $74 million debt for gas received in October and November. In December, Moldovagaz was able to pay off on its own. However, the representative of «Gazprom» Sergey Kupriyanov expressed fears that this could happen again in the future. Already in January, «Moldovagaz» again faced difficulties in repaying the next payment, since the purchase price of gas increased from 450 to 646 dollars per thousand cubic meters. The parliament of the republic introduced a state of emergency for 60 days to resolve the problem. It is expected that from February 1, the gas tariff may increase by 30 percent.
