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Moldova's Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita
Photo: DUMITRU DORU / EPA-EFE
At the beginning of the cold season, the Republic of Moldova got into a serious crisis in its gas supply.
Therefore, the country bordering Romania now wants to declare a one-month emergency due to a lack of gas.
The Moldpres news agency reported that 55 of a total of 101 MPs in parliament voted for a corresponding proposal by the government.
"In the area of gas supply, a critical situation has developed in our country," said Moldova's Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita.
The gas demand of the economically weak ex-Soviet republic for October was only covered to 67 percent.
In this situation, Gavrilita said her country was forced to purchase natural gas from other sources - the state of emergency was a prerequisite for such action.
Moldova sources gas either from Ukraine or Romania.
A contract between Moldova and the Russian energy company Gazprom, which should have expired at the end of September, was recently extended by a month. Negotiations with Gazprom continued, said Gavrilita. The uncertainty made the situation in Moldova even more tense. Ukraine, whose relations with Russia are very tense, promised Moldova short-term gas supplies from its own reserves. The secretary of the Ukrainian Security Council, Olexy Danilov, said that there was no need to pay for the gas, but that the corresponding quantities could be returned later.
The drastic rise in energy prices has caused great concern in many parts of Europe.
Critics suspect that Gazprom is not reacting to increased European demand to force the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to go into operation quickly.
The Russian side has repeatedly denied such allegations.
Approval is still pending for the controversial Baltic Sea line between Russia and Germany.
However, President Vladimir Putin recently promised several rapid gas deliveries via Nord Stream 2.
jso / dpa / Reuters
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