Peskov: Russia has no political agenda in gas talks with Moldova

MOSCOW, Oct 27 (PRIME) -- There are no and cannot be any political conditions in the gas negotiations between Russia and Moldova, they are purely commercial, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Wednesday.

“There are no political moments and there cannot be any, it is solely commercial negotiations. There is a need for gas, there is a commercial offer, a proposed discount, there is also the problem of accumulated debt. All this is of an absolutely commercial applied nature. There can be no politicization here,” Peskov said.

The Financial Times said citing sources that Russian gas giant Gazprom has allegedly offered to lower the price of gas for Moldova if the country amends its agreement on duty-free trade with the EU. The company also allegedly wanted Moldova to postpone implementation of the rules agreed with the EU, which require liberalization of the gas markets and higher competition.

Moldova used to purchase gas from Gazprom under a 2008 contract, which expired on September 30. The parties could not agree on new terms and extended the agreement until the end of October. The market price of the fuel rose to U.S. $790 per 1,000 cubic meters, which Moldova said is unacceptable for it.

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