OREANDA-NEWS. September 25, 2013. As it was informed at the press conference by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar, such an arrangement has been achieved during his visit to Moscow. Valeriu Lazar noted that the contract will be signed by this winter.

According to him, the contract terms of supply and transit of gas and calculating formula will remain unchanged. According to preliminary estimates, the average purchasing price for Moldova in 2014 will be USD 10 less than the previous year and will make about USD 380 per 1 thousand cubic meters.

According to Valeriu Lazar, this is due to the fact that calculation formula includes the average purchasing price of the natural gas acting for European concerns. Due to the fact that the price for them has decreased, the price for Moldova may also slightly fall. However, as Valeriu Lazar noted, the tariff for consumers will depend on the exchange rate. It can be reminded that the terms of the contract between "Moldovagaz " and " Gazprom" will expire on December 31, 2013.

In 2012, the parties also extended the old agreement without signing a new long-term gas contract due to a number of unresolved problems in the gas sector. In particular, it was stipulated by some issues connected with the ownership of "Gazprom" in Moldova within the framework of "Moldovagaz" arising in the context of obligations of our country on the third energy EU package.

In addition, the parties will have to solve the debt problem of Moldovan consumers for the natural gas, which exceeds USD 4.1 billion including Transnistrian region.