Russia says has no intent to harm Moldova in gas talks

VERONA, Oct 28 (PRIME) -- Russia is not going to negotiate gas supplies to Moldova to the detriment of this country, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said at an economic forum in Verona on Thursday.

“Negotiations are going on, they will either end with agreements, and then they will be implemented, or they will not end with agreements, and then there can be any scenarios, but no one is going to do it to the detriment of Moldova,” Pankin said.

The two countries and their gas companies have been in talks over a new gas contract since October 1, when Russian gas giant Gazprom ultimately refused to extend the 2008 and demanded that Moldova pay U.S. $700 million of its debts to the company and sign a new contract with fair market prices.

Moldova signed contracts on the test purchase of one million cubic meters of gas from Polish company PGNiG and Dutch company Vitol on October 25–26 and of one and a half million cubic meters of gas from Swiss company DXT Commodities and PGNiG on October 27. Until then, Russia used to be the only gas supplier to the country.

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