Transdniester says Moldova blocks $7 bln debt payment to Gazprom

MOSCOW, Dec 24 (PRIME) -- Tiraspol is ready to pay a U.S. $7 billion debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom, but Moldova blocks the breakaway republic of Transdniester the debt payment, republic’s President Vadim Krasnoselsky told PRIME in an interview on Friday.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said earlier that the combined debt of Moldova to Gazprom stands at around $7.5 billion, with Moldova accounting only for around $430 million of the sum, while Transdniester accounted for the rest.

“We are ready to consider payment options with Gazprom. It can in any period of time, but the main thing is that we are ready to pay the debt, we are not denying it,” Krasnoselsky said, adding that the republic has to have direct contractual relations with Gazprom in order to do that.

He sent a letter earlier to Moldovan Prime Minister Natalya Gavrilita asking for a license for legal relations with Gazprom and special codes for imported gas in Transdniester, which should come directly from Gazprom to the republic.

“But we are yet to hear a response. By and large and in fact this is denial of these legal relations. Moldova acts ambivalently here. First, they don’t want to grant any independence to us so that we pay for the gas to the Russian Federation on our own,” he said.

“Second, they say that this debt is not their debt. It is obvious that it is our debt, but we want to have the opportunity to pay it, which they don’t provide. The issue is hanging in the air.”

Tiraspol is creating a company to work on direct gas supplies to the republic, but Moldova doesn’t want to issue the license, he said.

End %%md/jst%%