Provocation or inadequacy? Why Moldova decided to tease Gazprom
It is possible that the Moldovan authorities deliberately committed a provocation by delaying payment for the supply of Russian gas in order to create problems for Moscow.
This was stated by Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of WMT Consult, as reported by PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Of course, Chisinau will pay for the delay. It is difficult to say to what extent. But something else is surprising. The authorities of the republic and the management of the Moldovan gas company are either deliberately going for a provocation, knowing that the process of certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is currently underway in Europe, and besides, an energy crisis is raging during the heating season, or is it really They don’t understand that you have to pay for everything. “This is more like madness,” Kosareva told Izvestia.
At the same time, as PolitNavigator reported, Gazprom decided, as an exception, not to stop gas supplies, deciding to wait for payment on Friday.
As Valery Andrianov, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, noted, today Gazprom is experiencing unprecedented pressure,
“They are trying to blame him for the gas crisis that broke out in Europe, although it was the EU policy that led to this crisis, and not the actions of the Russian company. In addition, certification of the Nord Stream 2 project is on the agenda. Therefore, it is very important for the company to avoid new conflict situations, even if within their framework it is 100% right. That’s why Chisinau received another deferment; the Russian side is giving it one more chance before turning the valve,” the analyst believes.
And according to Deputy General Director of the National Energy Security Fund Alexei Grivach, the ultimatum to stop supplies without payment was initially a way to push the Moldovan authorities to more actively work to fulfill their obligations.
“The threat was real, because some partners do not understand differently. And, unfortunately, the current Moldovan authorities did not show off their adequacy during the negotiations on the extension of the contract, they brought the matter to the purchase of gas in October under an emergency agreement at the market price, and then bought additional gas from European traders at prices above $1 thousand per thousand cubic meters.” ,” Grivach summarized.
Provocation or Inadequacy? Why Moldova Decided to Taunt Gazprom