October 5 (SeeNews) - Russia's Gazprom has threatened to cut off natural gas supplies to Moldova starting October 20 if the country's utility company Moldovagaz does not pay its debts.
"Gazprom reserves all its rights, including the right to completely stop deliveries in case of violation of the obligation to pay for gas until October 20 2022, as well as the right to terminate the contract at any time due to a gross violation of the terms for concluding an agreement on settlement of the historical debt of Moldovagaz," Gazprom said in a Telegram post on Tuesday.
The Russian company added that throughout 2022, Moldovagaz has regularly violated the terms of the contract concerning payment deadlines for supplied gas and has repeatedly asked Gazprom to relieve certain contractual obligations concerning supplied volumes.
Gazprom also mentioned that because Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz refuses to provide it with a gas transportation service in full, it can only supply 5.7 million cu m of gas per day to Moldova this month.
Moldova's deputy prime minister Andrei Spinu said on Tuesday during a broadcast by local Vocea Basarabiei radio station that the results of an audit of Moldovagaz's historic debt to Gazprom will be ready in January.
Initially, Moldova asked for the audit to be delayed until March 2023.
Moldovagaz owes some $700 million (701.4 million) to Gazprom for gas deliveries made before 2019, of which $300 million are penalties, according to information posted on Gazprom's website in October. Moldovan authorities said at the time that they will acknowledge the debt only after an audit. The two parties agreed on the audit at the time, and the Moldovan government was supposed to sign a contract by May.
In August, Moldova's government announced it has signed a contract with Norways Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma and with UK's Forensic Risk Alliance & Co for the audit, which is supposed to be completed by 1 January 2023.
Russia's Gazprom owns 50% of Moldovagaz, the Moldovan government owns 35.33% and 13.44% is held by the government of Transnistria, the pro-Russian separatist republic within Moldova.
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