OREANDA-NEWS. March 21, 2011. The agreement to hold the respective talks was reached at the XII meeting of the inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation of Moldova and Russia held in Moscow, it was informed at the Moldovan Ministry of Economy. Moldova currently purchases gas from Gazprom on the basic of the contract signed for 2007-2011.

Under this document, the gas’s price is fixed, according to the formula, basing on the average price, at which Gazprom has been selling gas to foreign states for nine months, preceding the beginning of the supplies, and taking into account the change of prices for oil products. Till the end of 2010, Moldova was purchasing gas with a reducing coefficient (discount).

However, on December 31, 2010, the period of adaptation for Moldova, stipulated by the contact, run out, and starting from January 1, 2011, Moldova has been purchasing gas without a discount. Given this fact, Moldova came out in favor of increasing the fee of the Russian gas transit through its territory to the European level as well. Valeriu Lazar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy said Moldova has a moral right for the rise in the Russian gas transit fee, as it has been purchasing gas from Russia at the average European prices since January 1, 2011.

He said Moldovagaz and Gazprom had agreed about a slight rise in the gas transit tariff late last year and since January 1, 2011, it has grown from USD 2.5 to USD 3 for pumping 1,000 cubic meters of gas for 100 kilometers. Valeriu Lazar emphasized that the increase in the transit fee will bring additional incomes to the Moldovagaz in the amount of about USD 10 million this year. However, according to him, the current fee doesn’t cover all Moldova’s gas transit maintenance costs and should be increased, like the purchasing price for gas – to the average European level. Moldova undertook to provide transit through its territory of 18.23 billion cubic meters of natural gas supplied by Gazprom to the European countries in 2011.