The separatist enclave of Moldova hopes that Russia will soon resume gas supplies

Vadim Krsnoselsky, the leader of Transdniestria, a breakaway region in Moldova, said that it expects to be able to get Russian gas soon, to meet its own needs. This comes after two weeks of crippling power outages.

Prime Minister of Moldova's pro European central government, said that Russia is determined to bring a Moscow friendly government into power in the country. He said that Moscow was likely to provide only a small amount of gas to guarantee electricity to both the rebel-held and government-held regions.

Since January 1, Russia's Gazprom has suspended gas exports into the region. The company cited a Moldovan debt of $709 millions that Chisinau doesn't recognize as valid.

Moscow has blamed the suspension of gas supply on pro-Western Moldova, and Ukraine. They refused to extend the five-year transit agreement that expired on December 31 because the proceeds were used to fund Russia's invasion.

Krasnoselsky said at a press conference in Tiraspol - the main city of the rebel area - that he hoped the result of the negotiations in Moscow would be a gas supply to Transdniestria in the near term for the generation and distribution to electricity.

He added that the gas would be provided as humanitarian gas at the necessary volume for the people of Transdniestria and their industrial enterprises, and also for heat and electricity generation.

Russia has yet to comment on this issue.

Krasnoselsky stated that there will be further negotiations regarding the delivery date and route.

Transdniestria is a small pro-Russian region whose main language is Russian, located along the Dniester river and bordering Ukraine. It receives about 2 billion cubic metres of Russian gas per year through Ukraine. The fuel was used to heat the homes and produce electricity which it then sold to the rest Moldova.

'GAMES and TRICKS'

Gazprom has refused to supply gas to Moldova's government despite having a contract in place and an option to use a different transit route. This is to undermine the government before this year's elections.

Transdniestria's separatist leaders rejected the government's offer to buy gas and instead sourced supplies from Europe. They blamed Moldova for the crisis.

Dorin Recean, Moldova's Prime Minister, told reporters in Chisinau that the Kremlin regime had held people hostage mercilessly in cold and darkness because it wanted to bring pro-Russian groups to power in Moldova, which would plunge our country into war and disrupt public order.

Recean said it was clear volumes of gas would be insufficient to generate power for government-controlled areas of Moldova "and will push us towards a conflict.

The Kremlin is after this. Chisinau won't accept these tricks and games."

Recean stated that his government is seeking legal advice to bring under Moldovan control Moldovagaz, the state gas company which is owned 50% by Gazprom and a Transdniestria thermal plant which produces power for both parts the country.

He called both "assets that Russia seized". (Reporting and writing by Alexander Tanas, Philippa Fletcher, Ron Popeski and Pavel Polityuk; editing by Bill Berkrot).

(source: Reuters)