Spokesman for Moldova's government says cabinet does its utmost for Moldovans to have electricity, heating, no matter situation imposed from abroad

Chisinau, 30 December /MOLDPRES/ - The government does its utmost for the people of Moldova to have electricity and heating in homes, no matter the situation imposed from abroad. We continue working, including with our partners and prepare the country for all scenarios possible. The spokesman for the government, Daniel Voda, today made statements to this effect.  

He said that Moldova stayed strong and was prepared to manage any challenge. ‘’At this point, on behalf of Moldova’s government, we want to convey a clear-cut message, understood by everybody: our country is prepared to manage any kind of challenge. The prime minister, in the last week-end, said that Moldova is prepared to manage any situation emerged following the Kremlin’s decision and announced through Gazprom,’’ Daniel Voda said.     

The spokesman for the government stressed that Gazprom’s decision on ceasing the deliveries of gas as of 1 January 2025 was an act of energy blackmail. ‘’This decision is an act of obvious energy blackmail, which aims at turning the residents from the Transnistrian region into hostages, leaving them without electricity and heating in the middle of winter. The government strongly condemns such oppressive tactics and reiterates that it does not recognize any alleged debt, invalidated including by an international audit,’’ Daniel Voda said.      

At the same time, Daniel Voda said that the right bank cannot be blackmailed, due to the diversification of the supply sources. ‘’The Moldovans pay their invoices in time and this debt invented by Gazprom is so much the more unlikely and not at all reliable,’’ Daniel Voda noted. He also said that the lessons of the winters 2004-2005, 2008-2009 and 2021-2022 had showed the importance of diversifying the energy resources.   

„Now, on the right bank, the situation is safe and stable. Moldova no longer depends on a single provider and can maintain its commitment to protect the vulnerable consumers. The people can be confident that they will have heating and electricity in homes, no matter the Kremlin’s actions,’’ the spokesman for the government informed.   

According to Voda, the situation in the Transnistrian region is serious and the Moldovan authorities warned, in the very beginning, about the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe. Daniel Voda said that ‘’Russia uses the energy as a political weapon, trying to create unsafety and instability in our region.’’  

At the same time, the Moldovan authorities said that they kept a close eye on the evolution, in order to back the citizens hit. ‘’ We will identify ways to get involved, in the sense of helping and supporting the efforts, so that the fellow countrymen from the left bank feel the Kremlin’s energy blackmail as little as possible,’’ Daniel Voda added.  

President Maia Sandu today summoned a meeting on the situation in the energy sector, with the participation of MP Dorin Recean, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian.  Following the meeting, Maia Sandu informed that the government, along with the development partners had prepared a plan for the providing of humanitarian aid to the citizens on the left banks of Dniester.