The Republic of Moldova will not block the supply of Russian gas to the separatist region of Transnistria, after the agreement on the transit of these gases through Ukraine expires this year, the Minister of Energy, Victor Parlicov, said on Tuesday, reports Reuters, according to Agerpres.

The authorities in Kiev do not intend to extend an agreement regarding the transport of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine, which expires at the end of this year, which means that supplies to Transnistria could also cease.

On the occasion of a state visit to Norway, with the aim of increasing cooperation, including in the field of energy, Victor Parlicov said that the Chisinau Government will not stand in the way of Russian gas deliveries to Transnistria.

“We will not prevent the delivery of Russian gas to the region. We believe that, together with Ukraine, we can find a way to maintain calm in the Transnistria region”, declared Victor Parlicov.

Later, at a meeting with businessmen and officials from the Norwegian Government, Victor Parlicov said that Transnistria “would collapse” if the gas supplies were stopped. “We will act calmly, we don’t want things to explode”, said the Moldovan official.

In the past, the Republic of Moldova relied almost exclusively on Russian natural gas, based on an agreement with the Gazprom group, but after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, it accelerated its efforts to diversify its supply sources and currently imports natural gas via Romania. Also, the Republic of Moldova has built a high-voltage power line that interconnects the energy system of the Republic of Moldova with that of Romania, but with all that it provides most of its electricity needs from a gas plant located in Transnistria, which delivers electricity at a fixed, relatively low price.

Norway is already providing financial support to the Republic of Moldova through its multi-billion dollar aid program to Ukraine, which also included 400 million crowns ($36.87 million) for gas purchases in 2023.