Foreign affairs minister says Moldova not alone before unprecedented energy crisis

Chisinau, 19 October /MOLDPRES/ - „The Chisinau authorities, both the parliament and the government, continue, including through diplomatic channels, to provide responsible solutions for the benefit of Moldova’s citizens of looking for ways of sure and sustainable supply with energy,’’ reads a message by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Nicu Popescu, sent for dissemination to MOLDPRES by the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE) press service.     

”We continue the dialogue with Russia on all channels available, including on the Foreign Ministry line. Last week, I confirmed the working visit to Moscow in next November, at an invitation by my counterpart Sergey Lavrov, as well as ensuring the co-chairmanship of the Moldovan-Russian intergovernmental commission.      

Moldova is interested in an efficient and predictable cooperation in the energy sector – and counts on the as quick as possible settlement of the problem of country’s supply with natural gas. This is also the message conveyed by Mrs. prime minister at the council of the heads of state and government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), held on 15 October.  

In this respect, in the near time, we schedule also other bilateral actions meant to continue the dialogue with the Russian side on the up-to-date files.   

On the last days, simultaneously with the actions of the government colleagues, MAEIE, in permanent regime, discussions continue with high-ranking officials of the governments of Romania, Ukraine, Germany, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as with other partners from the region, in order to identify solutions to the energy-related problems.    

As associate state to the European Union, we benefit from not only political, but also practical support on behalf of EU and the member states. Last week in Brussels, I punctually tackled the issues on energy with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. The same subject was subsidiarily analyzed at consecutive meetings with the Directorate Generals for Energy and Neighbourhood and Enlargement, held in videoconference format on 14 October.    

In the present energy crisis, we discuss with our European partners 3 priority directions: (I) technical assistance and expertise, (II) identification of potential energy sources, (III) identification of financial solutions for the compensation of the increase in prices for energy resources, which hit the entire continent.   

The recent completion of the last works at the Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline and the interconnections in the electricity sector, important strategic projects, which will allow Romania and Moldova to advance towards the consolidation of the cooperation in the field of ensuring the energy security, represented also the subject of the dialogue with Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu last week.

Photo: MAEIE